Saved By the Bat
by Squeegee Beckinhime
Summary: Joker and Bane are imprisoned at Arkham. Bruce notices that they're not being looked after properly and their lives are at risk. Will he break the rules and help the two criminals? Slightly OOC.
1. Chapter 1

**So this is an idea I've had in my head for a while. Thought I'd better write it down before the ideas overwhelmed me!**

 **The characters in this story will all be slightly OOC...but I wanted to show a softer side to them...I'm kinda mushy like.**

 **Feel free to review and let me know what you think :-)**

* * *

 **Saved By the Bat**

 **Chapter One**

 _Arkham Asylum 11:09pm - Thursday_

The Joker lay on the floor inside of his tiny room, a shiver running through his body.

Today, the guards had been a lot more heavy handed than usual.

He ached from head to toe, and for once...he wasn't laughing.

Even if he wanted to, he couldn't.

He was in far to much pain to even muster a soft chuckle.

Two years and four months...two years and four months he'd been stuck in this hell hole.

Two years and four months he had been without his favourite purple suit, his grease paint and his beloved explosions.

His freedom.

Arkham Asylum was slowly killing him...literally.

His mind, body and his soul.

What people on the outside world didn't know, was that Dr James Mason, head doctor at said asylum was also a depraved sadist as were the guards.

They loved to torture, beat down and destroy every single inmate in any and all ways possible.

The first week Joker had been at Arkham was soooo...boring.

Nothing happened in the dingy place.

He would hear screams of pain and terror but put that down to the nut jobs that shared the building with him.

He would sit in his room and talk aloud, laughing to himself and reminisce about 'the good old times', the times he had with the Batman.

But then after a while, the guards and the good doctor showed who they really were and how they were going to be treating him for the remainder of his stay.

Regular beatings, not just because he would attack them every chance he got, no...he would be sitting quietly in his room and they would rudely disturb his thoughts by using their night sticks as bats and his body as batting practice.

They would starve him, leave him for days with no water and they would drug him up to his eyeballs to keep him from being able to fight back or laugh at them while they did it.

For over two years he put up with this, not having the strength mentally or physically to try and escape.

But all of that was about to change...

* * *

 **Reviews are appreciated :-)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you to all that reviewed. I'm glad that you're enjoying the story so far :-)**

* * *

 **Chapter Two**

 _Gotham P.D 9:31pm - Friday_

"Where is he?" Batman asked in his familiar gruff tone.

"In a holding cell. He's got enough tranquilizers in him to kill a horse so he should be out long enough for the transportation to Arkham" Gordon told him.

"I'm going with them, they can't be trusted and we can't risk him escaping" Batman replied.

"I agree, I'll inform my men that you'll be joining them. Once he gets there, it's up to the doctors and guards to keep him in. He won't be our problem anymore" Gordon said as he walked over to his team.

Batman walked down the hall to a small room.

Inside a steel cell, slumped in the corner with only the bars keeping him upright, were none other than Bane.

Bruce had to take a moment to make sure the man was still alive as he was deathly still.

Once he saw the slow rise and fall of the larger mans chest, he was satisfied that the officers were for once, competent in what they were doing and didn't give the mercenary an overdose of tranquilizers.

Gordon walked up behind him.

"We have an armoured truck waiting outside. We put more sedatives in the back where he'll be in case he starts to wake up. I've told my men you're going with them. I'd like for you to sit in the back with him if you wouldn't mind. I don't trust them with a job this big" Gordon told him honestly.

"Let's get this over with" Batman told him as he turned and made his way to the awaiting vehicle.

After struggling to get his hulking frame onto a gurney, Bane was wheeled out to where the transportation unit were gathered.

Once settled inside, Bruce climbed in after him.

"Stay safe and thank for the help Batman" Gordon said giving a knowing nod.

Bruce gave a small nod of his own and closed the doors.

The journey was long and silent.

The only noise was the deep mechanical breathing coming from the masked man who was currently out cold and handcuffed to the gurney.

After at least forty minutes of driving, the truck came to a slow stop and the doors swung open.

The officers began to lower the gurney to the floor ready to wheel Bane inside.

Bruce followed them, keeping an eye on the man to make sure he was still unconscious.

Once inside they were greeted by an older gentleman with a mustache.

"Ah, good evening gentlemen. I'm Doctor Mason. Please follow me and I'll show you where you can deposit this...criminal" he said with a disgusted tone.

Bruce continued to follow them down the long and winding hallways.

As they were passing patients rooms, they came to an abrupt stop when they saw three guards crowding around a man on the floor while they mercilessly beat him with their night sticks.

Bruce couldn't see who it was.

All he heard was the man coughing and groaning.

Eventually, the guards took a step to the side as to allow the doctor and officers room to continue their journey.

As they walked by, Bruce couldn't help but look down at who the guards were attacking.

It wasn't until he was nearly passed them that he noticed the familiar blonde hair now void of any green.

He then noticed the scars on the man's cheeks.

It was none other than The Joker himself.

Bruce stopped walking and gazed into the familiar dark eyes, but what shocked him most was what looked back.

This wasn't the same crazed man he had brought to the asylum two and a half years previously, this man looked completely and utterly defeated.

The look in the clowns eyes was enough to shake Bruce to his inner core.

"Excuse me...Mr...Bat, were here" Dr Mason called out to Bruce, annoyed undertones in his voice.

Bruce continued to stare into the piercing brown eyes before turning his attention back to the doctor.

"What is this?" he asked, gesturing toward the Joker and guards.

"This...is what happens when inmates refuse to cooperate" the doctor said simply.

Bruce looked back down at the man who was desperately clutching at his ribs.

He watched as the clown rolled to his side and coughed up blood onto the bright white floor, gasping for breath in-between.

"I think he's learned his lesson don't you?" Bruce asked as he looked toward the guards.

They just sniggered at him.

"Gentleman, please return this inmate to his room" Dr Mason told them.

The guards once again circled the Joker and heaved him to his feet before dragging him down the hallway.

Bruce made a quick mental note of what room he was taken into.

He then turned his attention back to the group of men at the end of he hallway.

He walked to Bane's room and watched as the officers struggled to get him onto the bed in the corner of the room.

Once they did, they were all ushered outside.

"Thank you gentlemen" Dr Mason said before closing the door and waiting for the light on the keypad to turn red, telling him that the door was locked before walking away without another word.

The officers made their way out of the building as Bruce slowly found himself lurking in the shadows outside.

He had an unusual feeling in his gut.

Telling him to go and see the scarred man to make sure he was alright.

It was strange, the feeling he had.

He felt...worried for him.

After giving it some thought, he slowly walked over to the entrance of the building.

Once inside, he again found no one at the front desk.

He followed the route he had taken earlier and went in search to find the room that held the Joker.

Once there, he peered in through the small glass window and saw the man laying face down on the ground.

Blood was pooled around his face.

A sudden pang of fear shot through his body.

Why? He didn't know.

He had to make sure the man was alive.

He walked down the rest of the corridor and found an open door that led to a staff break room.

He looked around to see if anyone was inside but found it empty.

He needed a way to get into Jokers room.

As he was about to exit the break room, he saw a doctors white jacket hanging from a hook on the wall.

Hanging from the chest pocket, was a key card.

He pulled it off and made his way back to where the Joker lay unconscious.

While walking back, he peeked into Banes room to make sure he was still inside.

The masked man was also still unconscious.

Finally, he was standing outside of the Jokers room.

Just as he was about to touch the key card to the electronic lock, he stopped himself.

Why was he doing this?

Why did he care so much?

This man had killed dozens of citizens of Gotham.

He'd killed Rachel.

Why was he bothered if he was hurt or not?

He couldn't explain it.

He just had the urge to go and see for himself if the crazed man was still alive.

He touched the card to the electronic pad and watched as the light flashed green, telling him the door was now unlocked.

He slowly and cautiously stepped inside.

The Joker remained still on the floor.

Bruce slowly made his way over to the clown and knelt down beside him.

"Joker" he called.

Nothing.

"Joker" he repeated louder.

The man stirred slightly but his eyes didn't open.

Bruce looked around the small room to try and find a source of water to clean the man's face of the blood that dripped from various cuts.

He found a small wash basin in the corner of the room.

He went over to it and turned on the taps, but no water came out.

He frowned in annoyance and looked around for something to help clean the man up.

Eventually he found a small wash cloth and went and knelt beside the injured man.

He carefully turned him onto his back.

He couldn't help but notice how swollen the clowns eyes were and how he had a healing cut above his brow.

He cautiously began to wipe the blood away.

As he did, it revealed more dark bruising masking the man's scarred face.

Bruce leaned back to get a better look at him and noticed the pain etching the man's features.

He was shocked at how normal he looked without the usual greasepaint paint.

Besides the scars, he looked like any other normal man.

Bruce turned back toward the basin to throw the blood soaked cloth into it.

When he turned back around, he was met by two intensely dark brown eyes staring up at him.

"Bats...?"

* * *

 **x Review, Review, Review x**


	3. Chapter 3

**Here's another chapter :-)**

 **Guest: Thank you. I'm glad you're enjoying the story.**

 **Simana: I'm so happy that you're enjoying the story. Thank you for your review :-)**

* * *

 **Chapter Three**

"Bats?..." the Joker barley managed to say.

"What did you do?" Bruce asked.

The Jokers eyebrows knitted together in confusion.

"What did you do, that made them do this to you?" Bruce elaborated.

The Joker sighed.

"I didn't do anything" he said barley above a whisper.

"I find that hard to believe" Bruce replied.

Joker began to try and sit up.

Bruce shot to his feet ready to defend himself should the man try an attack.

"Don't worry Bats, I won't...ah...do anything. Even if I wanted to...I can't" the Joker told him.

"I've got a headache from hell and I think my...ah...ribs have been stomped into powder" he mumbled.

He tried to stand but could barely move.

Bruce felt pity and offered his hand.

Joker looked from the hand to its owner and then back to the hand again before he slowly reached out and took it.

Bruce helped him to his feet and over to the bed in the corner of the room.

Joker sat down releasing a hiss of pain as the movement jarred his sore ribs.

"Care to tell me what happened?" Bruce asked.

"Why?" Joker shot back.

"Why what?" Bruce asked confused.

"Why do you want to knooow?" Joker asked again.

"Honestly, I don't know. Pretend I care" Bruce told him.

"Bats, you're not...ah...going soft on me are you?" the clown asked with a laugh.

Said laugh turned into a violent coughing fit that soon had him gasping for breath.

Bruce watched as Joker wrapped an arm defensively around his mid section and leaned over the edge of the bed to cough out blood.

"You need medical attention" Bruce informed him as he went to look through the window of the door checking the corridor for any guards or orderlies.

The Jokers eyes darted to the dark figure and he shook his head.

"No, I don't. That's the last thing I need" he stated firmly.

Bruce looked confused before stepping toward him.

He noticed the slight flinch he saw the Joker make as he got closer to him.

"Does this happen often?" Bruce asked him, trying to pry information from the tired clown.

"Define often" was the Jokers questioning reply.

"Once...twice...three times a week?" Bruce asked.

The Joker sniggered as he used his sleeve to wipe blood from his mouth.

"Ah...try everyday Bats" he told the man.

"They do this to you everyday?" Bruce asked shocked.

"More or less" Joker said while slowly laying himself down the bed closing his eyes.

He used the hand that wasn't holding his ribs to rub at his temples.

"Do you provoke them into doing it?" Bruce pushed.

"Why are you...ah...really here Bats? Hmm? Surely you didn't come all the way here just to...ah...see little ol' meeee" he said while smirking.

Bruce sighed irritated.

"I was helping transport another patient to the facility" he informed him.

"I thought I'd come and check on you because you looked half dead when I saw you being dragged down the hall by the guards" he explained.

The Joker gave a small nod.

"If you and the...ah...good old doc hadn't come around the corner when you did, then I probably would be" he said smiling brightly.

"Is dying funny to you?" Bruce asked.

When the Jokers smile deepened Bruce rolled his eyes.

"Don't answer that" he mumbled.

The Joker painfully managed to sit up in his bed.

"Well Bats, it was nice seein ya. Best...ah...be on your way though. Nightly checks...ah...start soon and you...ah...don't want to get caught. They might just keep you locked in here too" Joker told him.

Bruce looked the man up and down and knew something wasn't right.

There was none of his familiar trademark hysterical laughter.

"Try to stay out of trouble" he told The Joker who just smiled.

"I'll...ah...try Bats. Scouts honour" he said as he saluted, letting out a small high pitch giggle.

Bruce turned and opened the door.

He shut it behind him once he was in the hallway and looked back at the Joker through the glass.

He couldn't help but notice that the clown wasn't laughing anymore.

* * *

 **x Review, Review, Review x**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you for the reviews, follows and favourites :-)**

* * *

 **Chapter Four**

It had been a month since Bruce's interaction with the Joker.

No matter what task he undertook since then, he found his mind wondering back to him constantly.

He really hadn't looked in the best of conditions when he'd checked upon him at the Asylum.

He was currently sat at the table in his kitchen drinking a coffee when Alfred walked over to him.

"Is everything alright Sir?" he asked, breaking Bruce's train of thought.

"Huh, oh yeah, everything's fine Alfred" Bruce told him.

"Are you sure Sir? You've been day dreaming an awful lot lately. Just now, I was informing you of the repairs Mr Fox has made to the tumblers and you didn't hear a word. Is something on your mind?" Alfred asked again, knowing that Bruce was hiding something from him.

Bruce contemplated for a moment, wondering if he should tell Alfred about his recent unplanned interaction with The Joker.

He knew Alfred would ware him down eventually, so he thought it best to just tell him and get it over with.

"Last month, when I helped transport Bane to Arkham, I...I saw him; The Joker I mean. He was being beaten by some guards. I was about to leave Arkham after they'd settled Bane but I...I had an overwhelming need to make sure he was ok" Bruce told him.

"I don't know what made me feel the way I did. I just knew that I couldn't leave without seeing him" he added.

Alfred nodded.

"That overwhelming feeling you got, was compassion Master Bruce" he explained.

Bruce looked down at the floor.

"He wasn't...himself. He was covered in new and old cuts and bruises. He looked exhausted. After they took him back to his room they just left him unconscious on the floor lying in his own blood" he explained in disgust.

"I managed to get into his room to check on him and he was so...different. Still completely crazy but...different; He looked so...defeated. It was so unnerving. I asked him if he'd provoked the guards into beating him and he very seriously said no. He said they beat him for anything and everything he did or didn't do. He wouldn't let me get medical help for him. He said that it was the last that thing he needed" Bruce told his oldest friend.

Alfred could understand why Bruce felt torn.

On one hand, this man, this clown, was a cold blooded killer.

On the other hand, he was still a human being.

Bruce sighed.

"I don't know. Would it be crazy of me to...go and see him again? I feel the need to make sure he's ok. I can't explain why, I just feel like I need to" he questioned.

"No Sir, I don't think it would be crazy. You spent the better part of a year playing cat and mouse with the man; he became a constant figure in your life. It's understandable in a strange sort of way that you'd want to see him come to no harm" Alfred told him.

Bruce nodded.

"I think I'll go and see him tonight then. It's been pretty quiet on the streets now that Bane's in Arkham too" he said before standing up to go and get ready for work.

* * *

 ** _Arkham Asylum 10:18pm - Wednesday_**

Bruce arrived at Arkham dressed in his signature bat outfit.

He walked inside the building and once again found no one at the front desk.

Did anyone actually work here?

It was eerily silent in the building.

He made his way to The Jokers room and peered inside.

He saw him once again, lying face down on the floor, his hands behind his back and blood on the floor.

Upon further inspection, it looked like the man was gasping for air, his shoulders twitching involuntarily.

Bruce quickly went about retrieving the key card that he'd kept from his last visit and hurriedly opened the door.

He rushed over to the now prone body on the floor.

"Joker" he called.

Nothing.

"Joker" he said louder while gently shaking the clown's arm trying rouse him.

He reached forward and put his fingers to the man's neck to check for a pulse.

It was then that he felt something tightly wrapped around the clowns neck and throat.

He pulled the collar of the unconscious mans shirt down, to reveal an extremely thick zip tie, fastened tightly cutting off the clowns oxygen.

He quickly pulled out an instrument from his belt and cut the restricting plastic away.

He then repeated the action on the zip tie that was secured tightly around Jokers wrists.

He carefully rolled the clown onto his back and checked for a pulse.

He couldn't feel one.

He lent down and listened for breathing but all he was greeted with, was silence.

What the hell had they done to him and why?

It was then that Bruce noticed a purple tinge to the scarred man's lips.

He laced his fingers together and began to push a steady rhythm on the clown's chest.

After half a minute or so, he bent down to check for any signs of breathing.

Silence.

He continued chest compressions and again checked for breathing.

Nothing.

Hurriedly, he tilted the clown's head back and gave four deep breaths, filling the man's lungs with air.

Just as was about to start compressions again, the Joker sat bolt upright.

Coughing and strained breathing filled the room as he hunched forward greedily sucking in air to his burning lungs.

Bruce hesitantly moved forward and began to rub circles on the clowns back in an attempt to help him catch his breath.

"Joker..." Bruce called.

The clowns only response was more desperate attempts to suck in oxygen.

He gagged as a coughing fit took over his slender body.

The man continued to try and steady his breathing while turning to look at who had just saved his life.

"Bats?..." he said, voice strained.

"You just...couldn't...let me go...could you?" he asked smiling.

Bruce felt a sudden rise of anger bloom but it quickly dissipated when he saw the clown begin to fall sideways.

He quickly grabbed the clowns arm to steady him.

"What happened?" Bruce asked him.

The Joker looked at him blankly before letting out another rack of coughs.

"I refused to...ah...take part in their little torture session this evening. They didn't like that...not...one...bit" he explained.

Bruce looked confused.

" Torture?" he questioned.

"This is a hospital, they're meant to help you not hurt..." he started but The Joker cut him off.

"This is the real world Bats. Not everything is warm and cosy. In here, the boogeyman is real, only he wears a white coat and has a PHD and he loooves to hurt people" he told him angrily.

Bruce contemplated the mans words.

If he left him, he would be dead by the end of the week.

Clearly someone in the facility had tried to kill him.

He couldn't willingly leave a man to die.

He argued internally with himself.

Part of him was telling him this is what the clown deserved, the other part was telling him to get himself and The Joker out of there as fast as he could.

Joker watched as Bruce's eyes became distant and his facial expressions looked strained.

"Bats..." Joker called.

"Bats..." he called again but still got no reply.

Tired of being ignored, The Joker then said "Bruce...".

This caused Bruce to snap his eyes toward the clown.

"You...how...you know?" he asked in utter shock and horror.

"Known for quite a while Brucey" The Joker confirmed nodding his head slightly.

Bruce stood up and headed to the door to look and see if anyone were in the hall.

"Well...see ya round Brucey...ah...thanks for getting the ol' ticker going again" the Joker said turning his gaze onto the floor.

Bruce walked back over to him and knelt down.

"I'm leaving, and you're coming with me" he said as he began helping the man stand.

"What? Is that a good idea? Helping bust out the...ah...clown prince?" Joker asked smiling.

"I'll put something in place to keep the citizens of Gotham safe, but, I can't leave you here" he told him.

"Who...ah...woulda thought? Batsy helping little ol' me" Joker laughed.

Bruce turned to look at the man.

"You're still a prisoner Joker. Don't expect a luxurious life when we get out of here. You'll still be locked up, but at least you'll be treated like a human being" Bruce explained.

Joker's eyes twinkled in delight as he let out a small laugh.

"Fair enough Brucey" he said.

"Stop calling me that" Bruce said irritated.

He opened the door of the clown's room and looked down the hall way.

It was completely empty.

He walked back over to the man who had sat down on his bed and roughly took hold of his arm.

He pulled slightly to get the clown moving.

As they entered the hall way, Bruce decided to quickly check on Bane.

As he walked over to the mercenaries room, he was stopped as The Joker called out to him.

"What is it?" Bruce asked.

"The...ah...big guy won't be in there" Joker told him matter of factly.

"What do you mean? Where is he?" Bruce asked, suddenly worried that the larger man had escaped.

"What's the time?" the clown asked in his usual naisily tone.

A shiver went down Bruce's spine when he heard the familiar words.

His mind raced back to when he'd heard the man say the same thing concerning Rachel and Harvey's whereabouts two and half years earlier.

Snapping out of his thoughts, he looked at the clock on the wall behind Joker.

"Ten fifty three" he answered.

The Joker nodded and then let out a knowing sigh.

"Well then he definitely won't be in there" he said.

"The doc took a real disliking to the big guy...ah...even more then he did to me...and he really...ah...hates me" he said smiling proudly.

"They took his little mask away and they've...ah...been taking him to the infirmary every night since" he explained.

"Why the infirmary?" Bruce asked confused.

The Joker gave him a sideways glance.

"Why do you think?" he asked amused.

"They've got...ah...sharp toys in theeere. Among other things" he explained.

Bruce looked disgusted at the idea of what the doctors had been doing to the two men.

Joker noticed the familiar look in the bats eyes.

"He's coming with us too, isn't he?" Joker asked.

Bruce looked at him but didn't answer.

He didn't need to.

The Joker knew the man had made up his mind.

Bruce took hold of the Jokers arm once more and began to search for the infirmary.

He could hear the man grunting in pain as he pulled him down the hallway.

When he noticed the clown slowing down, he turned to look at him.

The man was in absolute agony; he could see it etched in the features of his scarred face.

He needed something to distract the man from how much pain he was in.

Bruce stopped walking and turned to look at him.

"What's your name?" he asked.

Joker stood stock still.

"Pardon?" he asked dumfounded.

"I asked what your name was" Bruce repeated.

"You know my name" the Joker said with a smile.

Bruce rolled his eyes.

"That's not what I mean and you know it" he told the clown.

Joker stared at Bruce.

He knew the man wasn't going to let up on his question.

He let out a long audible sigh.

He hadn't said his birth name out loud in years.

With a crack of his neck, he answered.

"Jack" he mumbled.

"Excuse me?" Bruce asked, not hearing him properly.

"My name, it's...ah...Jack" the man told him.

Bruce stared at him in shock.

It was such a...normal name.

Joker, feeling uncomfortable under the mans stare, snapped him out if his train of thought.

"The big guy?" he questioned.

Bruce nodded and continued their journey down the hallway.

As they turned the corner, Bruce made an abrupt stop, which made Joker bump into his back.

"What?" the clown questioned.

He peered out from behind Bruce's back to see a row of guards holding their batons, staring Bruce and himself down.

* * *

 **x Review, Review, Review x**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

Bruce stood staring at the group of men.

He felt the Joker...Jack, grip onto his cape.

The slight shaking of the clown's hands didn't go unnoticed.

Whether it was due to fear, pain or anger, he couldn't tell.

He felt Jack slowly start backing away and he followed.

Bruce then shoved Joker backwards out of the way while he charged at the armed men.

Joker landed hard on the floor, knocking the wind out of him.

"Damn bat" he mumbled as he screwed his eyes shut in pain.

He watched as Bruce fought off each guard.

He would have laughed if he wasn't struggling to control his breathing.

Bruce managed to subdue all of the men.

His shoulder ached from where one of the guards had struck him with his night stick.

He walked over to the Joker and helped him stand.

"Did you have to...ah...shove me down like that? I'm an injured...ah...clown ya know" he said trying to laugh but failing.

Bruce ignored the comment and they continued their way to the infirmary.

Once they got to the place they were looking for, Bruce found a gurney in the hallway.

He sat Joker on it and cuffed him to the railing.

"Is that _really_ necessary?" he asked.

Bruce just gave him an ' _are you serious'_ look.

"Why so serious Brucey" the Joker asked smirking.

As Bruce was about to respond he turned to the room holding Bane, hearing someone shouting.

"Higher damn it" the voice yelled.

Bruce turned to look back at the Joker.

Brown eyes met blue.

"Better hurry, they're probably sending a few...ah...hundred volts into him right about now" the clown told him.

Bruce felt sick.

Is this what Joker meant when he said they'd been torturing the the two men?

He walked over to the door and looked through the small glass window.

Dr Mason and another man stood by a metal table that held Bane.

He was strapped down tightly, wearing only his combat trousers and boots.

Chest exposed, he was hooked up to a heart monitor which beeped alarmingly fast.

He watched as the doctor leant over and whispered something to Bane then laughed evilly, shoving at the man's face as he did so.

The larger man lay panting, unable to defend himself from their attack.

He watched as the younger man in the room, held a metal device onto Banes stomach with an outstretched arm.

He flipped a switch and Bruce watched as the mercenaries arms shook in their straps from the electrical current that was shooting through his body, his hands clenched into fists.

His head was arched back and his eyes were screwed shut in sheer agony.

A leather strap was over his mouth to hold in any noise.

As the young man, who Bruce suspected to be an intern, went to move his hand away, Dr Mason's shot out and held it firmly in place.

"If we hold it on any longer his heart could stop" the intern told him.

"Your point being?" Mason asked with a sneer.

"His heart has stopped every time we do this. Why are you feeling compassion now?" he asked.

The intern looked away.

Nothing he could do or say would make Mason change his mind.

Bruce watched as the monitor began to spike crazily before it let off an alarm, going to a flat line.

Only then did Mason let the man's arm go.

"I wonder how long we can leave it this time before we bring him back" Mason laughed.

Bruce felt nauseous.

They were doing this for fun.

Killing a man and then resuscitating him, just to do it again.

They must have done this to the Joker too.

Snapping out of his thoughts, he burst through the doors and with one punch, knocked Mason unconscious, sending him crashing to the floor.

He immediately began tying him up.

He turned to look at the younger man who was currently staring in fear at the bat.

"What are you waiting for?" Bruce asked.

"Help him" he demanded.

The man nodded vigorously and went to work.

He unstrapped the leather gag on Banes face and dropped it to the floor.

Blood slowly trickled from the mercenary's mouth.

Bruce was expecting to see a horribly disfigured face that was always hidden behind the mans mask but it wasn't what was revealed.

There was a small scar that led from the bridge of Bane's nose to his top lip, but that's the only visible damage that he could see.

Like the Joker, he looked incredibly normal.

The intern began giving the mercenary chest compressions.

"Um...Mr Batman...Sir, could you use that ambu bag to give him oxygen please?" he asked timidly.

Bruce gave him a stern look before reaching over the table to retrieve said item.

"Hold it over his mouth and nose. Hold it down very tight, don't let any air escape. When I say, squeeze as hard as you can" the man told him.

Bruce watched as he continued with compressions.

"Ok, breathe" the intern said a few seconds later.

Bruce did as instructed and watched as the mercenary's chest rose and fell slowly.

They continued CPR for a few minutes more before the intern turned to a tray holding medical supplies.

He picked up a large needle and a bottle of white liquid.

"I need to inject him with adrenaline. If I inject it straight into his heart and give him a shock, it can get it beating again. Kind of like using jumper cables on a car" he said with a nervous chuckle.

When Bruce just stared back at him his smile dropped.

He filled the syringe and then began to feel around Banes chest.

He had to find an opening between his rib cage where he could plunge the needle without hitting any bone.

When he eventually felt the opening he needed, he lowered the needle and pushed it through the mans skin.

He then began to inject the liquid.

Once the syringe was empty, he put it back on the tray and waited for a few seconds.

"Ok..." he said as he looked at the heart monitor.

When its started to spike, he turned on the defibrillator.

"Charging at two hundred" he said aloud.

When the machine gave a high pitch whine a few seconds later, he picked up the paddles.

"Um, can you put some of that gel on them please" has asked Bruce, pointing to a bottle on a tray next to him.

Bruce did as asked and watched as the man lined them up on Banes torso.

"Ok, here we go. Move away. Don't touch the table" he warned Bruce who took a step back.

"Ok...clear" he said as he pressed the buttons on the paddles.

Bane's shoulders lifted slightly off of the table as the current went through his body.

The heart monitor beeped momentarily before it went back to a flat line.

The intern looked panicked as his medical training failed him.

It had not worked as he thought it would.

Bruce could hear coughing coming from the corridor and turned to look at the doors.

"Keep trying" he growled at the man.

He stepped out momentarily into the hall to check on Joker.

The clown was still sitting on the bed where Bruce ad left him.

He was leaning forward clutching at his stomach, eyes screwed shut in agony.

Blood pooled on the floor dripping from his mouth as he sucked in air through wet coughing.

Bruce turned back to the doors and then back to the Joker.

"Got any...pain killers...in there...Brucey?" he asked with a breathless, exhausted tone.

Bruce looked down at the blood on the floor.

He must have internal injuries of some kind to be coughing up blood.

He had to get him back to the mansion as soon as possible.

Alfred would know what to do.

He took out a small device from his suit and pressed down on a button.

"Alfred it's me, I need you to set up two gurneys and a makeshift emergency room for when I get back" he said to his friend.

"Of course Sir" he heard in reply.

"What are the injuries? Is it a simple clean and stitch?" he asked.

"It's a little more complicated than that I'm afraid Alfred. One is coughing up blood and the other was electrocuted. He's being resuscitated as we speak" he told his most trusted friend.

"I'll get out the emergency equipment then. Out of curiosity, who is it you're bringing back with you Sir?" Alfred asked.

"It's the Joker and Bane Alfred. I'll explain when I get back. I shouldn't be much longer" he told him.

"Very well Sir" Alfred replied.

Bruce turned back to Joker who wasn't coughing as much anymore but was incredibly pale and had a sheen of sweat on his face and neck.

He went back into the infirmary and found a small fridge.

He opened it and found some bottles of water.

He grabbed one and asked the intern who was still doing CPR on Bane where the meds were kept.

The man pointed to a cabinet on the wall which Bruce turned to look at.

He rummaged through it until he came across some paracetamol.

He snatched the packet from the cabinet.

As he was walking toward the doors, he looked at the intern.

"Keep trying" he demanded, to which the younger man nodded franticly.

As he went back out to the Joker, he opened the box of tablets and took out two of them.

He handed them to the clown and watched as his shaking hand took them from him.

He then handed over the water and watched as he gulped nearly the entire contents of the bottle.

"When was the last time you had anything to drink?" he asked shocked.

"What...ah...day is it?" Joker asked.

"Wednesday" Bruce replied.

"Ahh...Monday, Monday morning" Joker told him with a nod of his head.

Bruce growled in anger and disgust before walking back to the doors.

He pushed his way inside to see the young intern still trying to get Banes heart started again.

He felt a set of eyes watching him.

He looked down to find Mason on the floor staring at him.

"You'll never get away with this" the doctor told him.

"This man will be hunted until found...and then he'll be brought back here" he said smiling.

"You're crazy" Bruce said with a sneer.

"No, I'm very sane" Mason said angrily.

"I'm giving these criminals what they deserve. Even if you save this one here, he's been down to long, he'll be...damaged. As for the scarred freak, he's long gone already. I told my men to put him out of his misery about an hour ago" he said smiling.

Bruce said nothing as he walked over to the doors.

He opened them so the doctor could see into the hall.

Mason's smile dropped when he saw the clown sitting on a gurney in the corridor.

Joker turned to look at the doctor but turned away again.

For once, he didn't feel like laughing.

This man was too much, even for him.

Bruce closed the doors and looked back at the intern who had just called to him.

"I'm...I'm sorry Sir, I don't...I don't think there's much more I can do. I don't think I should continue" he said exhausted.

Bruce walked over to him and stared him down.

"You can and you will" he said angrily.

The man shivered slightly and then nodded.

Mason laughed from the floor.

"What are you going to do, try and rehabilitate them? Make them members of the community? They're dogs...wild dogs that need to be put down" he told Bruce.

"That's not your decision to make" he shouted.

"You'll pay for this, I'll see to it that you do" Bruce warned him.

"Go ahead, there's no evidence to prove it Batman. Only your word. The security camera's in this building don't work. Couldn't have footage of this now could we?" he said gesturing to Bane.

Just as Mason was about to speak again an unsteady beeping came from the heart monitor.

Bruce turned to look at it.

He then looked at Bane whose eyes were now open, looking blankly up at the ceiling.

The intern used his knuckles to rub on the larger mans chest.

"Take a breath, c'mon. Breathe...you need to breathe" he pleaded terrified as he felt Batman glaring at him.

Bruce watched as Bane blinked slowly a few times before turning his head to the side.

He squeezed his eyes shut as he tried with all his might to suck in air.

After a few agonizing seconds, he gasped in as much air as he could.

He began to choke as his lungs burned from the lack of oxygen.

The young intern let out a sigh of relief as he saw Bane finally breathing.

He retrieved the ambu bag and began to help the man with his ragged breathing.

Bruce turned back to Mason who had a disgusted look on his face.

"I can't believe you want these criminals alive" he spat.

Bruce walked over to the man and struck him hard in the face, once again knocking him out cold.

He turned back to Bane who was being unstrapped by the intern.

As Bruce walked over to them, Bane's hand shot up and grabbed Bruce by the throat...a furious look in the larger mans eyes.

* * *

 **x Review, Review, Review x**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

Bruce looked down at Bane and could see the anger and confusion in the larger mans eyes.

There was no strength behind his hand as he held onto Bruce's throat.

Bruce slowly raised his own hand and took Bane's off of his neck.

He looked at the intern.

"Can he be moved?" he asked.

The intern nodded and then shook his head.

"He needs to rest. His ribs will be bruised, possibly fractured from the CPR" he told Bruce.

"I know that, but can he be moved?" he asked again.

The intern nodded and Bruce looked down at Bane.

"Do you know who I am?" he asked.

Bane looked confused for a second but nodded his head yes.

"Do you know your name?" he Bruce asked him.

Bane rolled his eyes in annoyance.

He took a deep breath and managed to say a single word.

"Tal...a?" he croaked.

Bruce leaned down and asked him to repeat what he'd said.

"Talia...where...is Talia?" he asked.

Bruce looked down at him and then slowly shook his head.

Bane didn't know she had died.

Bruce watched as a single tear spilled from Bane's eye.

"You can't stay here with them doing this to you. I'm taking you with me. You'll still be imprisoned but you won't have to go through this anymore. If you try to escape on the way, I'll put you down" Bruce told him, then held up tranquilizers to prove his point.

Bane had a sudden look of rage on his face, but it disappeared as soon as it had appeared when he felt a wave of pain shoot through his body.

He blinked rapidly trying to focus, a groan of agony escaping his lips.

The heart monitor he was still hooked up to began to beep furiously.

Bruce looked from the machine to the intern and back again.

Bane let out another groan he tried so hard to keep in.

"What's happening?" Bruce asked.

"They took his mask away. We discovered it released pain medication through aerosol form and as soon as Dr Mason found out, he ordered it to be removed. Said he wanted him to suffer. He's had surgery in the past, there's a scar from his neck to his tail bone" the man said.

"We don't know what the surgery was for, he wouldn't tell us. That's one of the reasons Mason was doing this" he gestured to Bane on the bed.

"He's been going through withdrawal on and off for weeks" he added.

"Where is it? The mask?" Bruce asked.

"Mason locked it in his office" the intern answered.

"Go and get it" Bruce told him.

Without hesitation the man hurriedly began to walk out of the room.

Bruce then called out to him .

"Do not stop and speak to no one" he told him to which the man nodded.

As he walked down the corridor, he glanced over to the Joker who was leaning sideways on the gurney, his hand still cuffed to the railing at an awkward angle and blood on the floor.

He looked down at the floor in shame and continued to walk down the hall at a brisk pace.

Bruce watched as Bane sat himself up, growling in frustration and pain as he did so.

He ripped the leads from his chest that were still attached to the monitor.

He saw a small line of blood seeping down his torso.

He looked at it confused and then up to Bruce.

"It was from a shot of adrenaline" he explained.

Bane squeezed his fists in anger.

He hated feeling weak and he hated being weak, in particular, in front of others.

Bruce asked him why he hadn't tried to escape from Arkham, surprised that he hadn't.

Especially with what they were doing to him there.

"Without my mask I can barely function. I can hardly stand, let alone plan an escape" Bane answered truthfully.

Bruce nodded.

"I meant what I said earlier, I will knock you out if I have to" he told him.

Bane stared at him.

"I would expect nothing less" he replied.

After a few minutes of silence the intern came back holding Banes mask.

"The cartridges are no longer inside. We disposed of them after we discovered what they held" he told them.

Bane let out an annoyed growl and snatched the mask from the man's hands as he stood up.

Bruce then told the intern to sit where Bane just was.

Once he had, Bruce handcuffed him to the table leg.

He then turned to look at Bane.

Bruce held up another pair of cuffs, knowing Bane wouldn't have the strength to break out of them.

The larger mans jaw tensed in annoyance but he held out his hands.

Bruce applied them to the mans wrists and they began to walk out of the room.

When they got into the corridor, Bruce noticed Joker laying on his side on the gurney.

He rushed over and shook the man gently.

Joker's eyes slowly fluttered open and he looked at Bruce with an unreadable expression, then his eyes slowly started to close again.

"Joker...Joker?" he said, but got nothing.

"Jack?" he said, raising his voice as he tapped the man on his scarred cheek.

Joker's eyes shot open and he was looking directly at Bruce.

"Were leaving" Bruce told him simply.

He helped the man sit up and then removed the cuff from the bed railing.

He took Jokers other hand in his and applied the cuff to his wrist.

Joker was in too much pain and to tired to argue with him.

Bruce helped him walk as they continued down the hall way.

When they arrived at the reception area, Bruce thankfully couldn't see any members of staff.

He lent Joker up on a nearby wall before going to bring the Batmobile to the entrance of the building.

Bane glanced over at the Joker who let out a few wet coughs.

He wiped away the blood that dripped from his lips.

He started to slowly slide down the wall in sheer exhaustion.

Bane never felt pity for anyone.

However, without a second thought, he placed his mask on his head to free up his hands and painfully walked over to the clown prince and helped him stand.

He held onto the smaller mans arms to keep him from going down again, ignoring the pain that shot through his back and chest as he did so.

Bane surmised that he would probably be spending a lot of time with the clown and the Bat in the foreseeable future so he thought it be best to cooperate as much as possible.

He had nowhere else to go.

He wouldn't make it out of Gotham alive and he knew it.

If living with the bat and clown were the only option, he would accept it gratefully.

He wanted out of Arkham.

Bruce came running through the doors and ushered them out as quickly as they could move.

They both helped Joker get into the back seat of the batmobile while Bruce got into the driver's seat and Bane squeezed into the passenger side.

Bruce then sped off, weaving through the streets trying to get out of sight as soon and as fast as he could.

In just a few minutes, he managed to make it safely away from Arkham without being seen.

He leaned forward and pressed one of the many buttons on the dashboard.

"Alfred" he called.

"Yes Master Wayne" his butler answered.

"ETA fifteen minutes" he said.

"Very well Sir. I've prepared what we discussed earlier" Alfred told him.

"Thank you Alfred" Bruce replied politely.

He sat back and continued the drive back to Wayne manor.

Bruce looked in the rear view mirror to see Joker slumped against the door, head leaning on the window and eyes closed.

The only reason he knew he was still alive was because of the wet, gurgled breaths he was taking.

He then took a glance at Bane who was rubbing his chest, eyebrows drawn together.

"Does your chest hurt?" Bruce asked him.

Bane gave a single nod.

""It's from the CPR. It took a while to bring you back" he explained.

"It's not the first time" Bane mumbled.

Bruce looked at him quickly before turning his eyes back onto the road.

"What were they doing to you both exactly?" he asked curiously.

Bane took a deep breath and then looked out of the window.

Bruce didn't think he would answer but listened intensively as Bane began to speak.

"I can only tell you what they did to me. I don't know what they did to the payaso" he said gesturing to the Joker in the back seat.

"My mask was taken from me. I'm weak, in constant agony and the doctor at Arkham knew that" he said.

"He would do anything he could to inflict pain and emotional damage. I do know that he made the payaso there sit in front of a mirror for hours at a time and look at his scars, ridiculing him" he told Bruce.

"Over the past few weeks, I've been electrocuted, drowned, choked, beaten, starved, water deprived, ridiculed and left for dead since I arrived at that place. They would do this until my heart stopped or I would stop breathing and then they would revive me and do it again" he explained.

Bruce was about to ask another question but noticed how Bane's hands curled into fists.

He clearly didn't want to talk about it anymore.

Bruce could see Wayne manor in the distance and took the secret road that led to the bat cave.

Bane shifted uncomfortably in his seat trying to relieve the many aches and pains he was feeling throughout his body.

As they arrived at Bruce's home, he looked out of the window to see Alfred waiting for them.

As soon as the batmobile came to a stop, Bruce opened his door and went to speak to his friend.

"Alfred, I can't explain everything right now. I'm not crazy, I needed the get them out of there. They would have been dead by the end of the week if I hadn't and..." he said.

Alfred held up a hand to calm Bruce.

"As you said, well talk about it later Master Wayne, as of right now, why don't we get the gentlemen inside and tend to any injuries they may have" he said calming Bruce significantly.

Bruce nodded gratefully and opened the door for Bane to step out.

The man winced at the pain in his chest and back as he rose to his full height.

He stood to the side as Bruce and Alfred went to the back to help Joker out of his seat.

Bane followed the men wordlessly as they made their way to the cave.

Once inside, Bruce and Alfred lay Joker down on a gurney.

"Ok, up you go" Alfred said to Bane who just stared at him.

"My injuries can wait, help the payaso first" he told the older man.

Alfred looked to Bruce for confirmation.

When he got a nod, he walked over to the prone body lying on the crisp white sheets.

The first thing Alfred did was cut away the man's shirt.

He and Bruce both did a double take when they saw the state of Jokers torso.

Scars, healing and fresh wounds and bruises were littered about.

You could barely see any untouched skin.

Bones poked through skin from undernourishment.

Alfred looked at Bruce with a shocked face.

Clearing his throat he got back to the task at hand.

"What seems to be plaguing the young man?" he asked calmly.

"The guards beat him and put a zip tie around his neck. He wasn't breathing when I found him. I did CPR for a few minutes. Since then, he's been coughing up blood" Bruce told him.

"Alright, let's have a look shall we" Alfred said.

He put on a pair of surgical gloves and picked up a small white packet from a tray nearby.

He tore it open and stuck tabs on the man's chest and abdomen.

He attached leads to them and turned on a heart monitor.

His heart rate was slow but steady.

"Ok, let's have a feel" Alfred said as he started to feel along the man's rib cage.

After a few moments he stopped at one particular area.

"There Master Bruce. A broken rib, here, here and here" he said showing the younger man.

"He's coughing up blood because they're scraping against his lung. We'll need to set them for him and he should be fine after a few weeks" he explained.

"Let me just feel here a second" he paused and felt the man's stomach.

"Well, the good thing is, his stomach is soft which means there's no build up of blood. He won't need surgery" he told Bruce.

Alfred took out a brace and slid it under the clown.

He positioned it to where it needed to be and fastened the straps.

He wiped the blood away that was dripping from the clown's mouth.

"There we are. A few weeks rest and some strong pain killers and he'll be fine" he said aloud.

Alfred covered the clown with a blanket to keep his body heat up and placed an oxygen mask on him to help his breathing.

He kept the heart monitor on so they could keep an eye on any changes.

Bruce had removed his mask and cape and was in the process of removing his gloves when he saw Alfred approach Bane.

The mercenary looked at Alfred with an unreadable expression.

"Do you need that mask on, or can it come off" Alfred asked in his usual cheerful tone.

Bane flicked his gaze from Bruce to Alfred and back again.

He slowly raised his arms up to undo the straps at the back.

His breath became short as the movement pulled on his back and strained his aching chest.

Once the mask was removed he placed it next to him.

Alfred changed his rubber gloves and walked back over to the man.

He went to open the same white packet as he had with the Joker but noticed Bane already had some tabs on his chest.

"Ah, you've already got some I see" he said as he placed the packet back on the tray.

"Ok, let's hook you up to this and see what's what" he said aloud.

Alfred did just as he said and another sound of beeping joined in with the Jokers own.

He moved the mask from the bed onto the tray and asked Bane to sit up straight as he listened to his breathing with a stethoscope.

The man complied, his eyes never leaving the butler.

"Alright, what's seems to be the problem" he asked him.

Bane didn't reply.

He didn't intend to either.

He didn't like admitting his weaknesses.

Bruce knew the man wouldn't tell Alfred so he approached them and spoke to Alfred instead.

"Over the past few weeks he's been beaten severely and has been tortured. When I found him today he'd been electrocuted until his heart stopped. It took over twenty minutes to get it going again" he explained to his butler.

"The mask normally would be giving him pain relief for a previous surgery on his back but the doctor at Arkham took his mask away and destroyed the medication" he added.

"His chest has been troubling him since we left" Bruce added.

"Well, after the amount of compressions he's had performed on him, I'm not surprised it's tender" Alfred stated.

Just as he was about to speak to Bane, the heart monitor began to beep irregularly.

Alfred and Bruce looked at it as did Bane eventually.

"What's it doing?" Bruce asked.

Alfred ignored him and continued to look at the monitor.

He then pressed a button on the machine and it slowly printed out a chart of Bane's heart rate.

He tore it off and began to inspect it.

Bruce noticed Bane was slowly clenching and unclenching his right hand.

"Are you getting any chest pain at the moment?" Alfred asked Bane.

The larger man stared at Alfred wondering if the older man was mentally challenged.

"No, not a bruising pain, an actual pain. Any pain in your right arm?" has asked.

Bane gave a simple nod.

Alfred asked him to lie down on the bed which the larger man did hesitantly.

Alfred told him to relax as much as he could.

Bane just lay with his head to the side, staring off into the distance.

Bane was becoming agitated.

His breathing was coming out as fast pants from the pain he was in.

Bruce looked to Alfred for an explanation.

"Well, it looks like you have an arrhythmia from a bruised heart. All these compressions and your heart stopping and starting have sent it into a frenzy" he explained.

Bane didn't say anything.

"I'm afraid the only way to fix it, is with a defibrillator" Alfred said.

He reached over and pulled one to him that he had at the ready.

He picked up two flat packs and pulled the protective covering off of them.

He placed one onto Banes chest and the other on his side, pushing down gently making sure they were stuck on firmly.

He turned the machine on and charged it to a hundred volts.

"Now, first things first, Bruce, stay back and don't touch the bed railings. As for you young man" he said turning his attention back to Bane "take slow breaths and try to keep calm. I'm afraid this is going to be very unpleasant" he explained.

Bane did not fear pain, but usually he would have his mask on and the pain killer to make him feel nothing.

Without it, he was just a normal man who felt everything.

When the machine beeped three times, Alfred took a step back from the bed and hovered his thumb over the shock button.

He eyed Bane sympathetically before counting to three and pressing it down.

Banes shoulders involuntarily shot up from the shock hitting his body.

He squeezed his eyes shut from the pain.

It hurt a lot worse then what he had thought it would.

Alfred checked the monitor and saw that the initial shock had made him go into tachycardia.

He charged the machine again to a higher voltage as he watched Bane struggle to stay conscious.

Again, he looked sympathetically at Bane as he pressed the button releasing another shock through his body.

Bane couldn't hold in the sharp yell as his body reacted to the shock.

Alfred looked back to the monitor and smiled.

"There, all done" he stated.

Bane lay panting heavily on the bed.

He placed his hand on his chest and groaned.

Bruce's initial plan was to have the men stay in a cell each in the bat cave to keep them from the public's eye and to continue their imprisonment.

However, with their vulnerable states he didn't think it would be best at that moment in time.

He asked Alfred to help him get them to a guest room each to which the older man obliged.

* * *

 **x Review, Review, Review x**


	7. Chapter 7

**Thank you to everyone that has reviewed! :-)**

* * *

 **Chapter Seven**

Joker awoke with a pained groan.

His chest was on fire and his throat burned from all the coughing he had been doing.

He had a nasty bruise going the whole way round his neck where the zip tie had been.

He opened his eyes and looked around confused.

He was in a room filled with old Victorian style décor.

He looked down and saw that he was on a queen size bed, covers pulled up to his waist.

It was then that he noticed the brace around his mid section.

He stared at it momentarily before letting his head drop back down onto the pillow.

He sighed and slowly started to try and sit up.

His hand flew to his ribs as the movement bloomed with a new found agony.

After managing to get into a somewhat upright position, he made his way to the side of the bed to try and stand.

As he stood, he noticed that his clothes had been changed.

He was now wearing dark blue and green plaid bottoms.

He held onto his stomach as he slowly made his way to the door of the room.

He opened it cautiously and peered up and down both ends of the hall way.

He stepped out into the corridor and began to make his way to where he saw a flight of stairs.

When he was about half way down the hall, a door opened beside him and Bane stood in the entrance.

He was wearing his normal attire of cargo trousers and military boots.

He eyed the clown who just stared at him with a blank expression.

"What are you doing payaso?" Bane asked him.

Joker's brows drew together.

"What's a payaso?" he asked the larger man.

"It's Spanish for clown" Bane said plainly.

Joker smiled.

"I'm trying to find ol' Brucey" he explained.

Bane nodded and began to walk with him down the corridor.

When they got to the stairs, Bane began to ascend them quickly.

He stopped briefly to look back up at the Joker only to find him struggling to get down the stairs due to the brace he was wearing.

He walked back up and took the Jokers arm and assisted him.

"Thanks" Joker mumbled as he allowed the man to help him.

Bane didn't understand why he was helping him, nor why he hadn't tried to kill anyone or try to get as far away from Gotham as he could.

He just simply didn't have the fight in him.

Of course he had wanted to see the upper class citizens of Gotham pay for their crimes, but the hate fuelled plan to completely destroy it, had all been Talia's doing.

He was too tired to begin another revolution.

Dare he say it, he wanted a quiet life.

The one thing he'd never had in his entire life.

Peace and quiet.

As they reached the bottom of the stairs, Bane stopped walking, too deep in thought.

Joker clicked his fingers in front of the man's face.

"Big guy?" he called.

Concentration being broken, Bane smacked the hand in front of his face away and continued to walk on in front.

Joker, with a smirk on his face, followed.

As Bane turned a corner, he almost bumped into Alfred.

The larger man stared at him.

"Ah, I see you're both up. If you'd like to follow me, I've just prepared breakfast" Alfred told them, leading them to the kitchen.

When they walked inside, they found Bruce already sitting there with none other than Commissioner Gordon.

They both stopped in their tracks.

They both got the nauseating feeling that they were being taken back to Arkham.

Bane huffed in agitation as he looked at Gordon.

"Good morning gentleman" the commissioner said calmly.

They both continued to stare at him.

Neither knew what to say.

"Please, have a seat" Bruce told them, gesturing to the stools that sat at the island in the middle of the kitchen.

They just stood there not moving.

Gordon adjusted his glasses and began to speak.

"Myself and Bruce have been talking this morning and he's explained to me what happened. Doctor Mason and his intern, along with the guards at Arkham have been arrested and charged with physical and mental abuse. People will eventually find out that you're no longer contained behind its walls and will start asking questions about where you both are. I'm going to tell the press that I pursued you both in a high speed chase, and that your car crashed and burnt to its frame work" he stopped to see if they had any questions.

They both continued to look at him, not saying a word.

"I'll need to take some of your blood to put in the wreckage to confirm its you in the wreck and to match the DNA we have on file of you both. As of now, The Joker and Bane are dead. You will spend the rest of your time here at Wayne manor under house arrest. Bruce and Alfred will keep you supervised. I'll be doing regular checks on you both" he informed them.

Bruce then cleared his throat the get their attention.

"I've had a tracking device planted just under the skin of your arm" he told them both.

"If you leave the grounds, it will set off an alarm within the manor and immediately send an electric shock through your body...enough to keep you down so that you'll be found and brought back. If you try anything, anything at all, I'll take you back to Arkham myself" he explained.

Both men looked down and checked their arms and saw a small red bump where the device had been placed while they were sleeping.

"I feel violated" Joker said aloud rubbing at the spot.

"So, do you agree to the terms of these conditions?" Gordon asked.

It was quiet for a few seconds before Bane's thundering voice filled the room.

"Why are you doing this?" he asked gruffly.

"After everything we've done, why are you both doing this?" he added.

The question peaked The Jokers interest.

He wanted to know too.

"Everyone deserves a second chance" Bruce told them.

"Even the both of you" he added.

Alfred came back into the kitchen and told the men to take a seat.

They both walked toward a stool each.

Bane pulled one out for Joker so the he didn't have to bend and agitate his ribs any further.

"Thanks" the clown mumbled.

"Well, I best be on my way. I'll be back later to collect those blood samples" Gordon told Bruce, shaking his hand.

He sent a nod to Bane and Joker as he passed them as Alfred accompanied him out.

Bruce was left alone in the kitchen with the two, and silence descended upon them.

"Later on Alfred will take those blood samples from you both. Then he needs to get your measurements so we can get you both some clothes. My original plan was to keep you locked in separate cells downstairs but Alfred talked me out of it" he told them with a chuckle trying to ease the awkward silence.

Neither of the men reacted.

As they continued to sit, Alfred walked back inside the kitchen.

"Ah, now you're all here I can dish up breakfast" he told them.

"Once you've both had something to eat, I can give you some pain killers" Alfred said.

Before Bane and Joker knew it, there was a plate in front of them both with eggs and bacon on it.

They sat staring at the food.

They hadn't had a proper decent meal for a very long time.

The smell was so over whelming to their senses.

After a while they both began to eat.

Within minutes of finishing their food, they were both being led in separate directions by Bruce and Alfred as they vomited back up what they had eaten.

Bruce stood outside of the bathroom that Bane occupied and listened as the man was painfully heaving.

How long had it been since they'd eaten?

It was then that Bruce noticed how much skinnier both men were.

Alfred stood outside the bathroom that the Joker was in.

After it had gone quiet, he opened the door and peeked inside.

Sat on the floor, leaning up against the bath tub holding his mid section panting, was a sickly looking Joker.

Alfred walked over to him and helped him stand.

He gave him a glass of water to rinse his mouth and took him back to the kitchen to give him some pain killers and something to help settle his stomach.

Bruce walked in shortly after, followed by Bane.

He mercenary sat down next to Joker and gratefully accepted the pain killers Alfred handed to him.

"Well, it looks like broth and soups for a little while" Alfred said which made Joker grumble as he swallowed his medication.

"Ughh, food" he said aloud and made a disgusted face.

Bruce couldn't help the chuckle that escaped him.

This suddenly felt so surreal to him.

Here he was, sat in his kitchen with his longest friend and two of the world's most dangerous criminals/

Strangely, he felt totally at ease with the situation.

* * *

Later that evening, Gordon arrived and knocked on the door to the Manor.

Alfred welcomed him in and led him to the living room where the three men were sat waiting for him.

"Hello again Bruce" he said shaking the man's hand.

He turned to the other two men in the room and nodded a greeting which they returned.

"Here you are Commissioner Gordon" Alfred said handing over a small clear bag with the vials of blood.

"Thank you Alfred" he said as he put the bag in his pocket.

"How has everything been today?" he asked, turning to look at Bruce.

"Fine. We were just about to sit down and have a talk about house rules" he said glancing at the men who turned to look at each other.

"Well, I'll get out of your way then" Gordon said as Alfred escorted him out.

"Ah...house rules?" Joker asked.

"Yes, house rules. First off, you can go anywhere you like but the bat cave, that's out of bounds. Secondly, if you make a mess you clean it up, it's not Alfred's job to be a slave to you both. Thirdly, from today, we start using your real names here, not your criminal names. And finally, there will be no fighting, no knives, guns, bombs, plots of any kind and no drugs. Basically none of your past activities are allowed in the manor" he told them.

"Oh, and here will be no mask or face paint either" he added.

Joker sighed aloud.

He felt like a child being given rules by a parent.

Everything he loved...'whoosh'...gone in one conversation.

"So...Jack" Bruce began which made the clown turn to look at the millionaire.

"Do you agree to these rules?" he asked.

Joker looked deep in thought before he replied with a mumbled "suuure" and then looked away.

This was happening.

Really happening.

He was going to start living a...normal life.

He wasn't a psychotic clown anymore he was just...Jack.

He felt bored by the idea already.

Bruce nodded at Jack's response and turned his attention to Bane who had an unamused look on his face.

"Do you agree to the rules also?" Bruce asked him.

With a momentary hesitation, the man nodded.

"Brilliant" Bruce said as he stood up.

"Whoa whoa whoa" Jack said raising his hand.

"How are we supposed to call him by his name if we don't...ah...know his naaame? You pushed and pushed until I gave you mine. How come he's not getting the same?" he asked pointing to Bane beside him.

Bruce sighed.

The clown could be so childish.

"I didn't push you to give me your name. I asked and you told me" Bruce replied.

He then turned to look at Bane.

"He is right though. You haven't said what your name is" he told the man.

Bane huffed and glared at the clown who just smiled at him in return, his scars twisting into a wicked grin.

"Liam" he said annoyed.

"My birth name, is Liam" he told them.

He then stood up and walked away, grumbling something about 'damn payaso'.

"Liam...really?" Jack said aloud.

"That's such a...normal name" he laughed.

"So is Jack" said Bruce as he let out a chuckle and walked out to follow Bane.

"Even to a guy like me, that's cold Brucey" Jack called out to him, making him chuckle even more.

Bruce found Liam sitting in the kitchen.

He had his arms folded over his chest and a scowl on his face.

"Is everything alright?" Bruce asked.

Liam just huffed in annoyance and turned away from him.

He had buried that part of himself a very long time ago.

Granted, Bane was an alter ego if you will, but still, he had not been called by his birth name since he was a child.

Alfred walked in to the kitchen to prepare supper when he saw the two men.

"Good, you're both here, where is um..." and he waved his hand meaning Jack.

"Jack...is in the living room" Bruce told him.

Alfred smiled and nodded.

"That name suits him perfectly. He tends to remind me of a Jack in the box at times" he said with a laugh and went to fetch the younger man.

Bruce took a seat opposite Liam and waited for Alfred and Jack to join them.

After a minute or so of silence, Bruce heard Jack say something to Alfred as they got closer to the kitchen.

"You're welcome and the name is Alfred Sir, not Jeeves" Alfred said with an authoritive tone but a smile none the less.

"Right, now you're all here. What shall I prepare for dinner for you gentlemen? Bruce I have steak or chicken in the fridge, Jack and..." he waited for a name for Bane.

"Liam" Bruce answered, when the larger man chose not to speak.

"Right, Jack and Liam, there are some soups in the cupboard over there. Pick out one each and I'll prepare it for you for supper" he told them.

Jack immediately made his way over to said cupboard and began rooting through it, humming as he did so.

Liam stood and walked out of the kitchen.

"I'm not hungry" he mumbled as he walked past Bruce.

After preparing dinner, Bruce, Jack and Alfred were seated at the island in the kitchen eating their supper.

Silence descended upon them.

* * *

 **x Review, Review, Review x**


	8. Chapter 8

**Thank you for the reviews! :-)**

* * *

 **Chapter Eight**

You could hear a pin drop in the kitchen.

"Three grown intelligent men, and not one of us can begin a conversation" Alfred said aloud.

"Let's change that, shall we?" he added with a smile.

"How are you feeling Jack?" he asked politely.

Jack slowly looked up from where he sat hunched over his bowel.

"Um...I'm ok. Still hurting like a bitch but I'm not...ah...coughing up blood anymore so that's an improvement I guess" he said feeling uneasy about making small talk.

He wasn't normal.

Having to have a normal conversation was very uncomfortable for him.

"I'm not used to this...ah...talking...thing" he announced suddenly.

"I was always telling people what to do, where to be and so on and now I'm...ah... at your mercy. I'm totally out of my league here" he explained.

"I'm the clown prince of crime. All I know how to do, is blow things up and fight batsy. Oh...and rip of mob dealers. I was good at that" he added reminiscing.

Bruce swallowed the food in his mouth before speaking.

"Were. You were, the clown prince of crime" he told the man.

"You must have been _normal_ before you became what you did. You just have to get back into that mentality" he told him.

"Normal is such an ugly word Brucey" Jack glared at him, clearly irritated.

"And its hard to get back into _that mentality_ when I don't remember my past. Sometimes I think I do, but I see my past in so many different ways, I can't remember which is the real one" he told him letting him in on his current mental psyche.

"I can never change who I am" he told him while looking down at his hands.

"I like to destroy things and I don't like to...ah...share, what's mine. Aaaand, I have a reeeeally bad temper" he told Bruce.

"And while were sharing, I'll let you in on a secret..." he leaned closer over the counter toward Bruce's direction.

"I'm not crazy...No. I'm. No **t** " he told him.

"Well then, maybe it's a good thing you're staying here" Alfred said, breaking the staring between the two men.

"You can work on becoming a new you" he added while standing to put his plate in the sink.

Jack didn't answer.

He just looked down at his food, then stood up quickly making Bruce almost jump up into a protective stance.

Jack walked over to the sink, placed his bowl in it, and walked out of the kitchen quietly.

"Well, that went well" Bruce said to Alfred sarcastically.

"We're still alive master Bruce, I see that as progress already" Alfred told him before walking out of the room.

* * *

Liam sat on the end of the bed in his room.

His elbows rested on his knees while he rubbed his temples to relieve his head of the ache that was forming there.

He was in a tremendous amount of pain from not having his mask.

He knew he would need to go downstairs at some point to get some more pain killers, but at the moment, he was trying to assess his current situation.

He was no longer in Arkham that was a plus.

But he felt as though he had been taken from one prison and placed in another.

He appreciated what Bruce was doing, but the man had to understand, he couldn't just simply sit and do nothing for the rest of his life.

He had to do something...anything to keep his mind from going stir crazy.

He stood up slowly and made his way down the hall.

As he got to the stairs he saw Jack breeze past him, mumbling something he couldn't quite understand.

"Payaso" he called.

Jack turned and looked at him, an irritated expression on his face.

"Are you alright?" Liam asked.

After a brief hesitation, Jack shook his head.

"No" was his simple reply.

He stood staring at Liam.

"He wants me to change. He wants me to...ah...be something...someone, that I'm not. I've been this way for too long. I can't change. I won't change. Sure, I won't kill anyone, and I'll be dead before I leave the grounds should I try to make a run fit it thanks to...ah...Brucey's little gift" his hand absent mindly rubbed his arm where the implant was.

"But I can't change how I feel about life, about people. I just don't care...about anything or anyone" he vented.

Liam could understand the clown's frustrations.

That's why he was heading down to the kitchen to lay down some rules of his own for Bruce.

"I'm going to go and talk with him. Are you coming?" he asked.

Jack took a moment to think before he nodded and followed Liam down the stairs.

They walked into the kitchen to see Alfred talking to Bruce.

"We need to talk" Bruce told them.

"I agree" said Liam as he walked forward towards the counter where Bruce sat.

"We appreciate that you have gone out of your way to help us. We also appreciate you letting us stay in your home. However, we do not appreciate being kept locked up like rats in a maze. We have nothing to do but stare at blank walls" Liam told him.

"I don't know if you've noticed but I'm in constant agony. You have refused me the use of my mask, yet you haven't provided me with a sufficient ambient to help with my pain" Liam told him sternly.

"As for the payaso, he needs a distraction. Something non violent, obviously, but something that he can be creative with. He will end up going crazy if he has to continue this way" Liam added.

Bruce nodded as the larger man spoke.

Before he could speak, Alfred walked over to the two men.

"Jack, how about some paints and some blank canvases? Would that provide you with some distraction" he asked the clown.

Jack gave a small nod.

"Ah...yeah...I'd like that" he said grinning making his scars stretch.

"And master Wayne, perhaps we could contact Mr Fox and ask him to come up with a more suitable pain reliever for Liam. Something that won't cause any side effects and can be taken regularly" Alfred suggested.

"Sure. I'll call him tonight" Bruce agreed.

"I'll need you to tell me what was in the cartridges of your mask. It wont be the same dosage, but it will be enough to help with your pain, nothing else" he added.

Liam just nodded and looked over at Jack.

Together, they walked out of the kitchen and went to their rooms.

"I have a bad feeling about this. It's like they've formed a team" Bruce said through squinting eyes.

Alfred walked over to him and lay a hand on his shoulder.

"No Master Wayne, I don't think were in any immediate danger. I just think they understand one another. After what they went through at Arkham, I'm not surprised they are seeking comfort, if you will, from each other. No one can understand what they went through before they became who they were, or after. A little sympathy and compassion goes a long way Sir" Alfred said as he left Bruce alone with his thoughts.

Bruce sat and digested his friend's words.

He had to get into the mind frame that Liam and Jack were now living with him and that they were not criminal masterminds any longer.

He was the one who said that they could have a new start.

But they would never get that, if he himself, couldn't let go of the past.

* * *

 **x Review, Review, Review x**


	9. Chapter 9

**Thank you to all who reviewed! :-)**

* * *

 **Chapter** **Nine**

Jack awoke early the next morning.

The pain in his ribs was particularly bad and he needed some painkillers as soon as possible.

With a loud groan, he got out of bed and began to walk to his bedroom door.

He knew he would find Alfred in the kitchen at this time of the morning.

He made his way down the hall and to the top of the stairs where he heard voices emanating from the kitchen.

With a painful grunt, he descended each stair slowly.

One he arrived at the kitchen, he walked inside and found Bruce sitting with Liam at the island while Alfred stood by the stove.

The smell of pancakes filled the air making his stomach rumble.

Sadly, he knew that he wouldn't be able to keep down such a heavy meal just yet.

Alfred saw movement from the corner of his eye and turned to look at him.

"Good morning Jack. How are you feeling this morning?" he asked, noting the pained expression on the man's face.

"Ah...I'm sore" he told the older man as he went to sit at the island as well.

"Morning" he mumbled to both Bruce and Liam.

"Morning" Bruce replied.

Liam gave a nod as he usually would.

"Here you are" Alfred said as he placed some pain killers and glass of water in front of him.

"Thanks" he said as he quickly picked up the tablets and washed them down with the cool liquid.

"So, this is what will be in the new pain medication. This...wont" said Bruce as he circled some writing on a piece of paper that sat in front of Liam.

The larger man nodded in understanding as he read over the list.

"Lucius will have it ready within a couple of days. Can you hold out until then?" Bruce asked him.

"I have all this time. A few extra days won't matter" Liam told him.

"Jack, what would you like for breakfast?" Alfred asked politely.

"I'm not hungry" the younger man replied quietly.

Alfred walked over to him.

"You need to eat something. They're very strong pain killers you've just taken and are not meant to be taken with an empty stomach. Eat something small. How about some fruit?" he coaxed.

"Fine" Jack snapped lightly as he cracked his neck.

Bruce watched the interaction and frowned.

"Are you ok?" he asked the man.

Jack was sat hunched over on his stool, head down as though he were folding in on himself as much as he could.

"I'm just peachy" Jack replied with an eye roll.

Clearly he was in a bad mood.

"Jack, later on, would you like to sit with me while I do an order for the art supplies we spoke about? You can tell me what you'd like" Alfred asked while walking over and placing a bowl of fresh fruit in front of him.

Scarred cheeks lifted into a smile almost immediately.

"Suuure" he drawled out, his scars stretching even further up his face.

"Oh Liam, I've arranged to have some more exercise equipment delivered to the exercise room. Now that the ingredients of your medication have changed, you'll need to use the gym to keep up your muscle mass, am I correct?" Alfred asked.

Liam gave a brief nod.

"Wonderful. It should be here by tomorrow afternoon" Alfred added before turning back to the stove.

He dished up some pancakes for Bruce, Liam and himself.

Jack eyed them hungrily but didn't want to chance a repeat of last time.

His ribs would not take the strain of vomiting today.

"Oh, before I forget. I need to take some measurements from you both. Once we've ordered the art supplies later, I'll go about ordering some clothes for you both" Alfred told them.

* * *

When breakfast was over, Jack made his way up to his room.

Once inside, he closed the door and walked over to the bathroom.

He slowly stepped inside and looked around before locking the door.

After turning on the taps in the tub, he took off his brace before he stripped down and slowly sank into the warm water.

As he lay in the tub, he let his eyes close, trying to relax his ever turning mind.

A short while later, he awoke violently as his face became submerged in the water.

He sat up and choked.

His arm instantly wrapped around his mid section in an attempt to support his ribs.

It didn't help.

He continued to cough and sputter, making him feel light headed as he couldn't draw in a deep enough breath no matter how hard he tried due to his ribs constricting his air flow.

Suddenly the bathroom door opened, its door handle slamming against the wall.

Liam stood in the doorway looking over at him.

"What are you doing payaso?" he asked as he slowly walked over to the tub.

Jack coughed a few more times.

"I...fell asleep..." he said as he panted.

Liam sighed.

"A bath full of water is not the best place to fall asleep" he told the smaller man.

Jack glared at him before letting out another wrack of coughs.

Liam chuckled before picking up a towel and handing it to the man.

Jack stood on wobbling legs and stepped out of the bathtub.

He took the towel from Liam and wrapped it around his waist.

He then walked away to go and sit on the bed in his room.

He slowly sat down, trying not to aggravate his ribs anymore then he already had.

Liam walked into the bedroom a few minutes later, the back brace in hand along with some clean clothes.

"They were in the draw" he told the clown, who nodded as he took the clothes.

"Why did you...ah...come in here for?" Jack asked.

"I heard you choking. I thought maybe you had reinjured yourself" Liam explained.

"...Oh..." was Jack's reply.

"Get dressed, and I'll help put your brace on for you" Liam told him.

It was momentarily quiet.

"Why are you helping me?" Jack mumbled.

"Because you need it payaso" was Liam's simple reply.

That being said, the larger man walked back into the bathroom and pulled the plug from the bath to drain the water.

He kept his back turned giving the clown some privacy as he got dressed.

When he heard the smaller man clear his throat, he turned around and walked back into the bedroom.

"I'll need you to stand" he said.

"Ah...stand?" Jack asked.

Liam nodded.

Once he managed to stand up, Jack slowly lifted his t-shirt so Liam could put the brace around him.

The bigger man was careful as he wrapped the object around the clown's torso.

He pulled slowly until he heard Jack grunt to know that the brace was tight enough.

Once done, Jack pulled his t-shirt down and slowly sat back down on the bed.

"Rest payaso" Liam said as he walked towards the bedroom door.

Just as he turned the handle he heard Jack speak.

"Big guy?" he called.

When Liam turned around, Jack looked him directly in the eye.

"Thanks" he said hushed.

"You're welcome" Liam replied, before walking out and closing the door behind him.

Jack felt a strange sensation run through him.

He'd been alone for so long and was used to doing everything by himself.

And yet, here was this man, helping him.

No questions asked.

"It's a funny world we live in" he growled before lying down and falling asleep.

* * *

 **x Reviews are appreciated x**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

Liam walked downstairs and into the kitchen. Alfred spotted him and smiled. "Ah, there you are. I was just coming to look for you. Is Jack around?" Alfred asked.

"He's resting" was Liam's simple reply.

"Alright, I'll do his measurements later" Alfred said as looked through a kitchen draw. "Ok, if you wouldn't mind standing here, I'll just jot down your measurements and then you can tell me what outfits you'd like me to order for you" Alfred said with a smile.

He walked over to Liam and told him to open his arms and hold them out to which Liam complied.

"Alriiiight" Alfred said as he jotted down the sizes on some paper.

"Do you know your waist size?" he asked the younger man.

Liam shook his head. "I've lost a lot of weight since being imprisoned and not having access to any gym equipment; my mask would contribute to my size also" he told the butler honestly.

Alfred nodded. "Ok, lets measure you now then" he said.

Once Alfred had finished taking all of the necessary measurements, he went and collected Bruce's laptop and went onto the internet.

"I hate using these blasted contraptions" Alfred told Liam who just looked at him.

After typing in a particular website Alfred smiled and clapped his hands together.

"Ah, here we are. What sort of clothing would you like?" Alfred asked politely.

Liam didn't say anything.

"No need to feel uncomfortable. What ever you're used to wearing I can make sure we get for you" Alfred said reassuringly.

Liam still didn't answer.

Alfred scanned him and smiled. "How about some cargo trousers?" he asked.

He typed it in the search bar and a number of different designs and colours appeared on the screen.

"What colour would you prefer?" Alfred asked.

"Black" Liam said simply.

"Ok. And is this design alright for you?" he asked.

Liam gave a simple nod.

"Right, we'll get a few pairs of them" Alfred said adding them to the shopping cart.

"What's your preference in shirts? T-shirts, long sleeved, vests?" Alfred asked.

"All of them" Liam told him.

After half an hour of searching, Alfred had a full shopping cart and after putting in Bruce's credit card details, Alfred clicked on 'same day delivery' for a little extra price.

"There. All done" he said smiling over at Liam.

"You're very quiet aren't you?" he said with a chuckle.

"I'm not used to conversing in an ordinary manor" Liam told Alfred bluntly.

"I'm adapting to this new life slowly and I'm finding its adjustments...difficult" he added.

"Well, I wont force you to converse with me if you don't want to Liam. I am here if you do want to have a chat though" Alfred said with a smile before picking up the laptop and leaving Liam in the kitchen.

* * *

Jack woke up later that day when he heard loud banging and voices.

He slowly sat up and got out of his bed. Making his way to the door he listened for a second before walking out into the hall.

He began to make his way to the stair case but was stopped when Liam called to him.

"Payaso" the larger man said.

Jack walked towards Liam's room and stood in the doorway.

"Yeees?" he drawled out.

"Alfred said we must stay up here. There is gym equipment being delivered and we are not to be seen" Liam told him.

"But I'm...ah...hungry" Jack moaned.

Liam chuckled. "I'm sure you can wait twenty minutes payaso" he told him.

Jack stood awkwardly in the door way.

He was about to turn to leave and head back into his room when Liam spoke again.

"Are you feeling any better?" the man asked.

"Ah...yeah...I am" Jack nodded.

Small talk was neither one of the mens best qualities but they were trying at least.

"Do you...have you had...ah...dreams...about..." Jack began to ask.

"Every night" Liam told him, not needing the clown to finish his sentence to know he was talking about what happened to them both at Arkham.

Jack nodded to Liam's answer and sighed.

Suddenly a smile spread across Jacks face. "You wanna know how I got these scaaars?" he asked.

Liam looked straight at Jack and slowly shook his head _'no'_.

"I have no use for that knowledge and I also know that what you tell me is highly unlikely to be the truth anyway" Liam told him.

Jack clicked his tongue off of the back of his teeth.

"You're no fun" he said as he leant against the door frame, a smirk on his scarred lips.

"What are you...ah...reading?" Jack asked when he noticed the newspaper in Liam's hands.

"I'm reading about our tragic deaths payaso" Liam said with a smirk.

"Ohh...do...ah...fill me in" Jack purred, taking a few more steps into Liam's room.

He wasn't sure if the larger man would be annoyed at him being in his space but when he didn't say anything or tell him to leave, Jack walked in further.

He leant against an arm chair that sat near the corner of the room and wrapped an arm around his middle.

"Sit payaso" Liam said not looking up from the paper.

Jack did as Liam had said and took a seat on the chair, releaving some of the pressure on his still sore midsection.

"So, what's it...ah...say?" Jack asked.

Liam scanned the article and read from the beginning.

"Gotham is safe once more" he started.

"Two of Gotham's most evil psychopaths who recently managed to escape their incarceration at Arkham Asylum have been killed when their escape car was run off the road by Commissioner Jim Gordon" he read aloud.

Jack rolled his eyes.

Liam continued "the former mercenary known as Bane and the psychotic clown prince of crime known only as The Joker were killed when Mr Gordon ran their car off of the road and it burst into flame. The coroner who attended the scene and inspected the wreckage found DNA evidence to confirm that both men were in the vehicle at the time of its explosion. No further investigation is required" Liam finished.

He turned the paper around to show Jack a picture of their death wreckage.

Jack leant forward and squinted as he looked at the picture before smiling.

"Oh if only they...ah...knew" he said chuckling.

Liam nodded and put the newspaper next to him on the bed.

There was silence in to room.

"So what dreams have you been having?" Liam asked which caught Jack off guard.

"Oh...um...ya know; being back there. Them doing what they were doing before ol' Brucey busted us out" he said.

Liam nodded. "I do too" he admitted to the clown.

"Do you think it will go away?" Jack asked.

"No" Liam told him honestly.

"I still have nightmares about my time in the pit..." Liam said but cut Jack off when he saw he was about to start asking questions.

"Another story for another time perhaps" he told the smaller man.

Jack sighed in defeat and leant back into the chair, his stomach rumbling loudly.

Both men sat silently but not in awkwardness.

They remained that way for some time until they heard a knock on the open door.

Alfred stood in the door way, a smile on his face as usual.

"The gym equipment has been delivered and put into the gymnasium so its safe for you to come down now" Alfred told Liam who nodded to the older man.

Alfred was about to head to Jacks room when Liam called out to him.

"He's in here" he said.

Alfred turned and walked back to Liam's room.

He walked inside and found Jack sitting casually on the arm chair.

"Ah good, your awake. I've already measured and ordered for Liam so if you want to follow me, I'll take down your sizes and you can tell me what you want me to order for you" Alfred said politely as he walked out of the bedroom.

Jack sat up and winced at the pain that shot through his ribs. He stood slowly and followed the older man down into the kitchen.

"Why do we always do stuff like this in the...ah...kitchen?" Jack asked.

"Me and master Wayne have been having meetings of all sorts in this very kitchen for years. I don't see why that should change anytime soon" Alfred said smiling.

"Now, if you wouldn't mind holding your arms out, ill start taking some measurements from you" he said politely as he walked over to the clown.

Jack began to raise his arms outwards but stopped when it pulled on his sore ribs.

His left arm dropped and wrapped itself around his stomach instantly.

Alfred sighed sympathetically.

"How about we just measure the one side and I'll add on the same again and work it our from there" he told the man who nodded.

"Alright...that's done. Do you know your waist size?" Alfred asked.

"Ah...twelve...I think" Jack answered.

Alfred measured him just to make sure and he nodded in confirmation that Jack did indeed, have a size twelve waist.

"Ok. Now, lets see what they have" Alfred said as he opened Bruce's laptop that sat on the counter.

When the screen didn't come on Alfred tapped the keys loudly and huffed. "Blast this machinery" he said aloud as he tried to get the screen to come on.

"I think it's off. You have to turn it on" Jack told the man.

Alfred looked and the laptop was indeed turned off. He switched it on and smiled. "Good thing you noticed" Alfred said smiling.

After Alfred managed to get the computer working and went online, he showed Jack some clothing.

"So...what clothing would you like?" Alfred asked.

"Ah...some jeans, I suppose" Jack stated.

"Alright, lets see what they have" Alfred said as he typed 'Jeans' into the search bar.

"I like those" Jack said as he pointed out some straight cut dark blue jeans.

"Ok, we'll get two pairs of those. What about 'stone wash'?" Alfred asked showing Jack a picture.

"They're fine" Jack nodded and Alfred added two pairs of them to the basket also.

"Ok, t-shirts, long sleeved shirts and jumpers. Whats your preference?" Alfred asked.

"T-shirts" Jack stated and Alfred looked for some plain t-shirts for the man.

"What colours would you prefer?" Alfred asked.

"Any, I don't mind" Jack replied taking a seat on the stool next to Alfred.

"Alright, we'll get some in black, white, grey and...navy blue?" Alfred asked to which Jack nodded.

"Ok, what shoes would you prefer?" he asked Jack who began to swivel his stool around slightly.

"Boots" Jack answered simply.

"Boots seem to be a favorite in this house today" Alfred said chuckling.

"Liam asked for a pair for himself today also" he added.

After selecting a pair of boots for himself, Jack walked over to the refrigerator not noticing Alfred add a few more items to the basket without him seeing.

He put his hand on the door of the refrigerator and turned to look at Alfred for permission.

When Alfred noticed the questioning look on the clowns face he waved his hand in the air.

"Help yourself Jack. After all, this is your home now too" he told the man with a smile.

Jack inwardly shook. He had a...home.

He turned and opened to fridge and peered inside for something to eat. He was tired of soups and fruit and wanted something different for a change.

As he looked about at the various foods his mind wandered back to what Alfred had just said.

"It really is a funny world we live in" he mumbled before pulling out some left over lasagna and closing the door behind him.

* * *

 **Everytime you don't review, Joker loses his smile :-(**


	11. Chapter 11

**Thankyou to everyone that has followed, favourited and reviewed so far...it's greatly appreciated :-)**

* * *

 **Chapter Eleven**

Bruce arrived back from his visit with Lucius. He hung his coat on the stand by the front door and walked into the kitchen where he was sure someone would be.

He found Jack leant over a plate of food. Actual food and not liquid food like he'd been eating for days.

"Finally able to eat?" Bruce asked startling the man.

Jack groaned and held his stomach. "Ask me again when the...ah...nausea stops" Jack sighed.

Bruce chuckled and placed a small bag onto the kitchen table.

"What's that?" Jack asked pointing to the bag.

"The new pain medication for Liam" Bruce told him. Jack nodded and looked down at his food.

"Uggggghhhhhh" he moaned as he tried his best to keep the food down.

"Maybe lasagna was a little bit too heavy to start off with" Bruce said looking at the clowns uncomfortable face.

Jack gagged and placed a hand over his mouth. Bruce rushed to his side ready to help direct him to the bathroom but Jack raised a hand to stop him.

"I'm gonna pu..." he swallowed hard "no I'm not" he said and took a deep breath.

Bruce stood by him for a few seconds more until he felt safe that Jack wouldn't vomit all over his kitchen.

When he was satisfied that the clowns food was staying down, he walked back over to where he stood before and pulled out a container that held Liam's new medication.

"Is Liam around?" Bruce asked.

Jack raised his arm and waved it slightly in the air. "He's in the gym" he told the man before standing to throw the rest of his food away stifling another gag as he did so.

Bruce walked toward the gym, meds in hand.

He opened the door and walked inside. He couldn't see anyone in there at first and was about to leave but a small noise to the side of him made him go back inside.

Sat on the floor, his back against the wall was Liam.

He was sweating profusely and his was shaking.

Bruce went and knelt beside him.

"What's wrong?" he asked the larger man.

Liam cracked his eyes open slightly and took a few more deep breaths before managing to say "withdrawals" breathlessly.

Bruce nodded and then held up the small container he had in his hands.

"I come baring gifts" he said with a small smile.

"Lucius has finished making the new medication for you. It doesn't have any steroids in it or such high potency of the pain meds that were in your mask but this should do the trick" he told him handing Liam one of the tablets.

Before Bruce had time to get some water for the man, Liam had put the tablet in his mouth and dry swallowed it in desperation to stop the tremors that shot through his aching body.

Liam closed his eyes and leant his head back as he waited for the drug to kick in. His hands shook violently in his lap.

"Lucius found something in the report he managed to get from Arkham's medical files on you" Bruce began.

"There was another drug in the aerosol you were breathing. Have you ever heard of a Borrachero tree?" Bruce asked.

Liam shook his head 'no'.

"It's an extremely rare tree that grows in south Africa. When you crush up its leaves you can inhale its sent and it has an opiate in it that makes you compliant. It wipes your memory, removes free will and basically makes you do as your told" he told Liam who looked at him.

Liam just stared at him curious as to where this conversation was going.

"Lucius found that very same drug in your aerosol inhaler. Arkham doctors had broken down your medicine to its smallest doses and found that in it" he told him.

"Did you know it was in there?" Bruce asked.

Liam stared at him a little longer before looking down at his still shaking hands.

"If I didn't know the tree existed, how could I have known that its toxins were in my pain medication" Liam asked back.

"So Miran...Talia...she was having that added to your medication without you knowing about it?" Bruce asked surprised.

"It appears so" Liam said irritated. He needed time to digest this important and treacherous piece of information.

Bruce could sense the hurt and anger that radiated off of the larger man and decided it was time to leave him be.

He stood and walked toward the door. He turned and looked back at the man and said "for what its worth, I'm sorry she did that to you" before he walked out of the gym and leaving Liam alone.

Bruce walked back into the kitchen and placed the medication in the small cupboard that his own medications among others and a small first aid kit.

Alfred was standing over the sink washing a plate Bruce recognized as the one Jack had been using earlier.

"Did he just leave it in the sink?" Bruce asked his butler.

"He did, but he had good reason to Master Bruce" Alfred said. It was at that moment that Bruce heard retching coming from the bathroom down the hall.

"Couldn't keep it down after all?" he sighed.

"Sadly no" Alfred replied as he continued to rinse the plate before putting it into the dishwasher.

"I'll go and see if he's ok" Bruce said as he stood up.

"Where's Liam?" Alfred asked "I'm about to start lunch" he added.

"In the gym, but don't go in there. I had to share some information with him that may of upset him" Bruce told his longest friend.

"Oh, what might that be sir" Alfred asked.

"Lucius managed to hack into Arkham's database and find his and Jack's medical records from their time there. They found out that there was a drug in Liam's mask that made him compliant. Talia al Ghul was controlling him without him knowing" he told the older man who shook his head sadly.

"When I went in to give him his new pain medication from Lucius he was sat on the floor against the wall shaking. Said it was another symptom of his withdrawal" he explained.

"Well then Master Wayne. You go and see if Jack is alright and I'll go and see if Liam is alright" Alfred said before he walked out of the kitchen.

* * *

Alfred walked into the gym and looked around.

He spotted Liam sat against a wall, his knees drawn up with his hands resting in his lap.

Alfred approached him slowly. At first glance it looked as though the man was asleep but the tear that slid down Liam's cheek didn't go unnoticed by the older man indicating that he was very much awake.

"Liam" Alfred called as he stood beside him.

Liam opened his eyes and looked up briefly at Alfred before looking away again.

"Master Bruce told me what Mr Fox discovered. I can't imagine what you're feeling right now, but, you can't let it defeat you. You should learn from this, mourn it but then pick yourself up and dust yourself off. This is all part of leaving Bane behind and being Liam. Treachery and betrayal are two of the worst things known to man, but if everyone who had been betrayed fell and never got back up, the world would be a lonely, dead place" Alfred told him.

"So...pick yourself up" Alfred added looking down at the man.

Liam looked up at him before slowly standing up. He straightened to his full height and took in a deep calming breath.

"There you go. Well done. This is just another step to becoming the new you" Alfred said before leading the man out of the gym and toward the kitchen for lunch.

Meanwhile, in another part of the house, Bruce was sat on the edge of the bathtub keeping guard as Jack dry heaved into the toilet.

"Ohh...just kill me now" he moaned as he lay his head on his arms across the open bowel.

Bruce chuckled.

"Anyone would think you've never been sick before" he told the man.

"I'm not usually" Jack told him.

"Must be your body cleansing itself" Bruce said.

"Of what?" Jack asked as he gagged again.

"Of The Joker" Bruce said and he watched as Jack squeezed his eyes shut at the mention of his alter ego.

After another few minutes, Bruce handed Jack a glass of water and watched as Jack rinsed his mouth out and spat the cool liquid into the toilet.

Jack sat back and leant against the side of the cabinet.

He looked up to see Bruce sat on the tub looking down at him sympathetically.

"You don't have to sit in here with me Brucey" he told the billionaire.

"Just leave me alone to die" he added before leaning back over the toilet and dry heaving again.

Bruce sighed sadly and waited for the man to finish before going to rinse a flannel and laying across the back of Jack's neck.

He flinched at the contact and drew back slightly but when he realized there was no threat, he settled back down and continued to try and stop his vomiting.

"No more lasagna for you then" Bruce chuckled but all he was greeted with was Jack mumbling "I hate you" before dry heaving once more.

* * *

Once Jack had finished being sick, he brushed his teeth and went with Bruce into the kitchen.

"Ah, there you both are. Jack, I'm assuming you don't want any lunch?" Alfred asked.

He was greeted by Jack clamping a hand over his mouth, heaving and shaking his head no vigorously.

Liam couldn't help the smirk that pulled at the corner of his lip.

Jack was almost very much a child in his actions and Liam found it amusing.

Alfred made some toast and scrambled egg and handed a plate to both Bruce and Liam.

Liam found his vision slightly blurry from the tablets Bruce had given him.

He shook his head to try and focus his vision.

After eating, he rinsed his plate and put it into the dishwasher, Bruce close behind him done the same with his plate.

Alfred noticed Jack rubbing a finger absent mindedly along his scars.

He watched for a few seconds more before speaking.

"Do they itch?" he asked breaking Jack out of his thoughts.

"Huh? Oh no, they're...ah...hurting" Jack told him before lowering his hands to his lap.

"Because you were sick?" Alfred asked.

"Being sick didn't help, but no, they always hurt" Jack told him.

"Never got round to getting them properly looked at. Did this beautiful stitching job myself" Jack said flicking his eyebrows with a smirk.

Alfred could only nod, not sure of what could be said to such a statement.

The four men were sitting around the island when they heard the doorbell ring.

Bruce and Alfred looked at both men and Jack and Liam nodded in understanding.

They both went up to their rooms and shut the doors so as not to be seen.

Alfred walked to the front door and opened it and greeted the delivery man outside.

"I gotta delivery for a Bruce Wayne" the man said while chewing his gum loudly.

Alfred signed for the items and thanked the man before closing to door.

He opened up both packages and looked inside to see what was what.

He then headed upstairs to give Liam and Jack their new clothing.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

Jack was sat on his bed holding his stomach when he heard a soft knock on his door.

"Jack?" Alfred called.

Jack stood up and walked to the door and opened it looking blankly at the other man.

"Your new clothes have arrived" Alfred said smiling holding up the bag.

He briskly walked past Jack and into the bedroom.

Jack still stood at the door and slowly turned to look at what the butler was doing.

Alfred stood in front of the wardrobe that sat against the wall and began taking out all of the new clothes from the bag.

He opened the wardrobe and took out the hangers that were inside and began hanging up Jack's various new outfits.

The clown felt some what uncomfortable.

"I can...ah...do that ya know" he told the older man as he walked over to him.

Alfred turned to look at him and smiled.

"It's fine Sir. This is what I'm paid to do. Plus, I don't fancy watching you mope around in pain because you've over stretched your ribs to hang these clothes up, therefor, I shall do it for you" Alfred said.

Jack just stared at him a little longer and nodded slightly.

He felt...out of place.

Without another word, he walked quietly out of his room leaving Alfred to finish what he was doing.

He walked a few feet down the hall and stopped; He found himself standing outside Liam's door.

He looked at it for what felt like the longest time before he raised a hand and knocked on the door.

He was looking down the other end of the hall when Liam's door opened and he stood looking down at the clown.

Liam stared at him waiting for Jack to speak.

"Ahh...the old guy's putting stuff in my room and I felt like a third wheel soooo..." he said awkwardly.

Liam stood to the side to make room for Jack to walk into his bedroom.

Jack walked over to the armchair that he had sat in before and made himself comfortable.

Liam looked over to him for an explanation to his awkwardness.

Sensing that Liam was waiting for him to explain his actions, Jack sighed and said "the old guy is ah...putting my new stuff away" he explained waving a hand in the air toward his room as he spoke.

Liam nodded. "He's not going to eat you alive you know payaso" he said looking at the clown.

Jack looked up at him. "I know that" he said lowly.

"You feel uncomfortable around him" Liam stated.

"Is that a...ah...question or a statement?" Jack asked.

Liam smirked already knowing.

"Ok, fine...i do...feel...ah...uncomfortable" Jack admitted. "I can't remember ever being this...homey and its all just been thrown at me and I'm trying to...ah...adapt, but it's taking some tiiiime" he explained.

Liam nodded in agreement. He took a seat at the end of his bed facing the clown.

"I'm used to doing my own...ah...thing. Not having to wait for permission or...ah...ask for things. I would take what I wanted and do what I wanted when I...ah...wanted. I miss the smell of gasoline and fire. I miss my suit. I miss my greasepaint...I miss what I used to be" he said looking at the floor, a deep look of though on his face as though he could see past events.

"But you can't be that anymore. The game has changed payaso" Liam stated.

"I know" Jack sighed "it sucks" he added sadly.

Liam chuckled.

"How come you've...ah...adapted so well?" Jack asked squinting at Liam.

"I haven't. I'm not as socially awkward as you are payaso. Neither am I near as paranoid either. I spent the better part of my life drugged and told who and what to be. No one ever asked me what I wanted. I was blind to a cause that I now know was utter madness and I was holding onto the memory of a child rather then the savage women she had grown up to be" Liam explained.

Jack had questions but he refrained from asking them, instead letting the bigger man continue to speak.

"Do I like being kept in this house? No. Do I appreciate being treated like a child at times? No. But do I want to go back to Arkham? Absolutely not. So...I will swallow my pride and continue this way of life because it may not be much of one...but it is living" he said looking at the clown.

The smaller man nodded.

"I was so awesome" Jack sighed. "Feared, respected" he said.

"As was I. But I believe in karma and this is ours payaso" Liam said.

They sat in silence until Alfred walked into the room knocking on the door.

"Ah, I thought I'd find you here" he said looking at Jack.

"Your new clothes are hung in your wardrobe and your other things have been put away" Alfred told the younger man who mumbled a "thanks".

Alfred walked over to Liam and placed the bag of his new items on his bed.

He was about to walk over to the wardrobe but Liam stopped him.

"I can do that, thank you" he said looking at Alfred who after a few seconds, gave a brief nod and left the room.

Jack stood up with a wince and went to the door.

"Well, I'm gonna gooo. Thanks for the...ah...chat big guy" he said as he made his way back to his bedroom.

He walked inside and over to the wardrobe. He opened it and looked at all of the new clothes.

Just as he was about to close the door, something caught his eye.

Hung on two hangers was one purple and one green hoodie. He ran his hand over the material and couldn't help the smile that crossed his features as he looked at his signature colours.

Alfred must have selected the items and added them to the order without him knowing. He closed the wardrobe door and went to sit on his bed.

He had a thousand thought racing through his mind all at once and he was trying to get them to quieten down enough to get some shut eye.

* * *

Liam had just finished putting his new clothing away when he heard the wood floor by his door squeak.

He was taken back when he found Bruce standing there instead of Jack.

Bruce walked into the room slowly and looked at the bigger man.

"Did everything you ordered arrive?" he asked.

Liam gave a nod.

Bruce looked around the room and sighed.

"I don't...I don't...blame you, for what happened" Bruce stated boldly.

His sudden comment sparked Liam's interest.

"To Gotham" he added. "You didn't know that you were being drugged and so you couldn't have stopped what you were being told to do. For a long time I hated you. But...after discovering what was being done to you by Miran...Talia...I realize that destroying Gotham was her wishes and not yours. You were merely a pawn in her twisted game. I'm sorry for judging you before I knew of the situation" Bruce said.

Liam just stared at him.

"We're going to be living with each other now and I don't want there to be anymore of this awkward tension that's been lurking in the air. I want to leave the past in the past" he finished by walking over to Liam and holding out his hand.

Liam looked down at Bruce's hand before looking back up to him, staring him in the eye. After a brief hesitation he took the offered hand and shook it firmly.

"Apology accepted" Liam said with a slight nod.

Bruce gave a small smile before walking out of the bedroom.

He stood in the hallway and briefly glanced at Jack's door. He wanted to have a similar conversation but not today he decided.

A conversation like that with Jack would need some thought put into it.

He stared at the door for a few seconds more before walking downstairs.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

A week had passed since Bruce and Liam had spoken and both men felt more at ease around one another. They had made small talk when in the same room as each other which made the atmosphere lighter.

Jack, for reasons unknown felt comfortable around Liam so he would spend a lot of time with the bigger man, talking to him or trying to get a rise out of him for fun but it never worked much to his disdain.

Alfred had spent an afternoon with Jack to order some paint supplies that had been delivered two days before.

Jack had pretty much been in his room since then with his door closed.

It was early on Friday morning and Alfred walked up to Liam's bedroom to inform him that breakfast was ready.

The larger man opened his door, thanked Alfred and headed down to the kitchen.

Alfred then made his way over to Jack's room and knocked on the door.

He heard a small frustrated growl before he heard heavy footsteps come to the door and yank it open.

He took a step back cautious of Jack's current mood.

"What?" Jack asked he looked at Alfred.

"Good morning Jack. Breakfast is ready of you want to make your way down to the kitchen" Alfred informed him.

Jack stood looking at him before huffing.

"Fine" he said as he walked into the hallway, slamming his door behind him.

Alfred looked on worriedly but followed the younger man down into the kitchen.

"Morning Jack" Bruce said when he saw the man storm into the room and grab a bowel.

"Yeah...morning" Jack mumbled before pouring himself some cereal.

He had been managing to keep some heavier foods down lately and had been enjoying foods other than soups and fruit.

Liam glanced at Jack and could see the rage in his eyes.

"Are you ok?" Bruce asked when he noticed it too.

"I'M FINE" the clown snapped before hunching over and digging into his cereal.

Jack ate in record speed and then stood up to leave.

"Jack" Bruce called out.

Jack stopped dead in his tracks, growled deep in the back of his throat and turned around slowly glaring at the man.

"Whaaat?" he asked annoyed.

"Is everything ok? You seem...angry" Bruce told him.

"Really? I seem angry? Well...maybe that's cos I am BATBOY" Jack shouted before walking out of the room almost bumping into Alfred.

"Bipolar much?" Bruce grumbled not in any mood to deal with Jacks sensitive attitude.

"Snappy towards you as well I see" Alfred said as he walked over to the to men.

"Towards me yes" Bruce said shaking his head.

"I'll go and talk to him" Liam said as he stood up and excused himself from the room.

He walked up the stairs and over to Jacks bedroom.

He knocked on the door but got not reply.

He knocked again but still got no reply.

He turned the door knob and made his way into Jacks bedroom.

He found the clown sat on the middle of the floor, his head in his hands.

"Payaso" he called to the man.

Jack looked up at him, rage burning in his dark eyes.

Liam stared back.

"I will warn you and I will warn you only once. If you try to attack me in anyway, I'll hurt you" Liam informed the smaller man.

Jack continued to glare before sighing in defeat and looking away.

Liam went over to him and looked down at him.

"What the matter?" he asked.

Jack ignored him.

"Fine" Liam said as he turned and began to head out the door.

Jack watched him get closer and closer to the door frame before speaking.

"I need to be somewhere today" he mumbled.

Liam turned to look at him.

"We can't leave. You know this" Liam reminded the man.

"Well then ol' Brucey is gonna have to temporarily turn this body invasion OFF" he said smacking at the device in his arm getting angry again.

"Go down and tell him that then" Liam said.

"Like he'd listen. He's got aaaall his little rules in place and to hell with everything else" Jack said throwing his hands up annoyed.

"Well, sitting here complaining about it is going to get you nowhere and being rude and sulking down there isn't going to solve anything" Liam said folding his arms.

Jack glared at the bigger man. He knew he was right.

"FINE" Jack yelled before standing up as fast as his sore body would let him and storming past Liam making his way down toward the kitchen.

Liam followed behind him curious as to where the clown said he had to be.

Bruce was talking to Alfred about something that had happened at Wayne Enterprises when Jack came bursting through the door.

He looked over at Bruce, took a deep breath and said "I need to go out".

Bruce nodded. "Alright. The grounds are private so its safe for you to be out without being seen. You can go as far as the end of the drive before you get zapped" he said with a smirk.

Jack balled his hands into fists at his sides.

"No Dork Knight...I need to go out...out of the house...off the grounds. I got somewhere to be" Jack told him angrily.

Bruce shook his head.

"No, absolutely not. That's not going to happen. You cant be trusted out there, not to mention that it was part of the agreement in your staying here and not being at Arkham" Bruce told him.

"Well I got somewhere to be. You can either temporarily turn this thing off or I will cut it out of myself" he said eyeing up the set of knives that sat in their wooden block on the counter top.

Alfred slowly moved forward and picked the block up, moving it out of Jack's reach.

"Where is it you need to be exactly" Bruce asked curious.

Jack stared holes through him.

He mumbled something but no one heard it clearly.

"What?" Bruce asked loudly.

"GOTHAM CEMETARY" Jack shouted.

Bruce was a bit taken back by his answer. Jack...wanting...no, needing to go to the cemetery.

It was clearly important to the man.

"I'll phone Gordon and see if he is ok with it. You'll have to cover your face" Bruce told him.

"Fine. Whatever. Call Gordon" Jack said irritated.

Bruce nodded and stood up from his seat. He looked over to Liam and gave him a knowing look.

"Payaso. Sit" Liam said to which Jack looked but did as instructed.

Bruce walked into the living room and pulled out his phone.

After a few rings Gordon answered.

"Commissioner Gordon" Jim said over the phone.

"Gordon, its Bruce" he greeted.

"Is everything alright" he heard Gordon say with a serious tone.

"Yes...no. Jack has been...angrier then usual today. Said he needs to go to Gotham Cemetery. I told him absolutely not and then he started threatening to cut his tracker out of his arm. It seems really important to him" he explained.

"So you're calling to ask if I will agree to let him go" Gordon asked.

"Yes" Bruce admitted.

"Can you keep him under control?" Gordon asked.

"I can get Lucius to temporarily stop the distance his device can go but I can also get him to programme it so that if he does try to escape, I can manually turn it back on and...shock him if I have too" he explained.

"What about Liam?" Gordon asked.

"I can't trust leaving him here with Alfred alone. Not yet anyway. I'll take them both. Jack's face will be covered and Liam looks nothing like he did before so it shouldn't be a problem" he explained.

Gordon sighed while letting the information process.

"Alright. I'll allow it. But if anything goes wrong, I'll see to it personally that they go back to Arkham" Gordon said before hanging up.

Bruce huffed and called Lucius immediately after.

* * *

An hour or so later, Lucius sat in the living room with his laptop and scanned both Liam and Jack's devices so he could operate them through the system he had created for them.

"Alright, they go off...now" he said shutting down the parameter shock.

Bruce watched both men making sure they didn't suddenly make a run for it.

"I'll go and fetch the car" Alfred said walking out of the room.

Jack sat on the corner of one of the desks in the living room deep in thought.

Lucius handed Bruce a device and explained that it worked like a walkie talkie. If he heard anything that seemed worthy of a shock, he could send it via satellite on his laptop.

Alfred walked back in the room shortly after and handed the keys to Bruce.

Jack stood up quick and practically ran out of the door, Bruce and Liam close behind him.

When Bruce got outside, he found Jack sitting in the back seat, a baseball cap on with his hood up looking down into his lap to hide his face.

A pang of sadness shot through Bruce that the man had to hide his face.

He got in the car along with Liam and he began to journey to Gotham Cemetery.

After a half hour drive, Bruce pulled up and parked the car.

"Keep your head down" he said as he turned to look at Jack who just stared back at him.

Bruce and Liam got out of the car and followed Jack through the cemetery.

Thankfully, no one seemed to be there so there was no worry of Jack or Liam being seen.

Both men watched Jack walk up a small hill and stop at a headstone.

He then fell to his knees and began to sob.

Bruce went to walk over to the man but Liam grabbed his arm to stop him.

"Let him have his space" Liam told Bruce who looked back over to Jack.

After a long while, Jack had stopped crying and sat staring at the grave.

Bruce looked at his watch and noticed it was getting late. The later it got in Gotham, the more police were about and they were already pushing their luck as it was.

Bruce looked over to Liam who nodded and they both made their way over to the fallen clown.

"Jack" Bruce called but the man either didn't hear him or he was ignoring him.

Bruce glanced over the headstone and saw the name 'Napier' on the top of the stone.

He then read what it said.

 _ **Harleen Frances Quinzel Napier**_

 _ **Loving wife and mother**_

 _ **October 12**_ _ **th**_ _ **\- 2006 Aged 25**_

"You were married" Bruce said aloud but mostly to himself.

"Was, being the key word" Jack said sadly.

Bruce then glanced over the rest of the stone. Right near the bottom was another name.

 _ **Jake Matthew Napier**_

 _ **Beloved Son**_

 _ **October 12**_ _ **th**_ _ **\- 2006 Aged 3**_

The realization hit Bruce like a ton of bricks.

"You had a son?" he asked Jack in shock and today was the anniversary of their deaths.

"Yeah...i did" Jack said wiping a tear from his eye.

Liam felt bad for the clown. He lost his wife and a child. He could only imagine the heart ache.

"What happened?" Bruce asked.

Jack sat up straighter at that question.

"What happened?" he repeated looking over his shoulder.

He stood up quickly from his spot on the ground.

"So Brucey want's to know what happened huh?" he asked walking toward the man.

Lucius had his hand hovering over the shock button should he here a scuffle.

"What happened is that in one night everything that I loved was taken away from me" he said loudly.

"What happened was that my wife and son were walking home from getting dinner while I was waiting for them across the street. What happened was the mob were chasing someone and didn't care that my wife and son were in the middle of the street" he said getting into Bruce's face.

"What happened was my wife and son were knocked down and killed right in front of me" he shouted.

Bruce stared at the man in shock.

"And then...while I cradled their lifeless bodies in my arms, one of the mobsters got out of his car and walked over to me, knife in hand. He tried to kill me too but ya know what I did. I got that knife off of him and sank it deep into his heart. That night Jack died with his wife and son" he said poking the man hard in the chest.

He stared at Bruce angrily before turning and walking back towards the parked car.

Liam began to walk back to the car also but Bruce couldn't move.

Out of all the scenarios he had made up in his head of why Jack was how he was, this was never one of them.

"Who were they chasing?" he called out to Jack.

"The mob I mean?" he added.

Jack turned and stared at him blankly.

As he opened the car door, he replied "they were casing you".

With that, he got into the car and slammed the door closed.

Bruce stood there in complete disbelief.


	14. Chapter 14

**More reviews means more chapters :-)**

* * *

 **Chapter Fourteen**

Bruce couldn't move.

Jack's family had been killed and unwillingly he was actively involved in it.

He watched Jack as he sat in the backseat of the car, his head in his hands.

He heard someone clear their throat and looked down to the device in his hand that Lucius had given him.

He and Alfred had heard everything.

Nothing could explain how he felt at that moment.

He began to make his way back to the car and got into it silently.

He started up the engine and began the drive back to the mansion.

Before he had even managed to park the car, Jack flew out of the car and stormed up the steps to the mansion.

Liam got out and walked into the house also while Bruce sat stunned in his car.

He didn't know how much time had gone by. He had watched Lucius leave some time ago and he had seen Alfred looking at him from the front door.

He was startled from his thoughts when Liam tapped against his window.

He opened it slowly and looked at him.

"Sitting out here all night is going to solve nothing. Park your car and come inside. Talk to him" he said before walking back into the house.

Bruce sighed before turning on the engine and driving the car to his garage.

Once parked, he made his way into the house.

He walked into the kitchen and found Alfred preparing dinner.

"Where are they?" Bruce asked when he couldn't see Jack or Liam.

"In their rooms I presume. Mr Fox reactivated their devices when they got back" he informed Bruce.

"I'm gonna go and try to talk to him" Bruce told his butler before standing up.

"Very well Master Wayne" Alfred replied.

Bruce made his way upstairs and to Jacks door.

He knocked but got no reply.

"Jack, can I come in?" he asked.

No reply.

"Jack I just wanted to..." he was cut off when a loud bang emanated from the door from the inside.

He concluded that Jack must have thrown something at the door to quieten him.

He sighed in defeat and walked away.

He walked back into the kitchen and sat down on one of the stools.

"He wont talk to me" Bruce sighed. "I can't believe this is happening" he said sadly to Alfred.

"Yes, it's a highly unfortunate situation" Alfred agreed.

"The best thing you can do is give him time Master Wayne. Today must be a very tough for Jack, him dealing with his loss and telling you about it all in one day must be exhausting" he added.

Bruce nodded but it didn't stop the pang of guilt that shot through his heart.

Once Alfred had finished preparing supper, he went upstairs and knocked on Liam's door informing him that dinner was ready.

He then made his way over to Jacks room and softly knocked on the door.

"Jack, supper is ready" he said through the door.

When he got no reply, he added "I'll keep yours in the oven for you" before walking back downstairs.

Dinner was quiet.

Bruce didn't say much of anything. Liam hadn't spoken a word since they had been back and Alfred gave up on trying to start a conversation.

"Will you be requiring anything else Sir's?" he asked both men.

They both shook their heads no.

"Right, well, I'm going to retire for the night then. See you both in the morning" he said before walking out of the kitchen.

Liam finished his food and placed his plate in the dishwasher.

Bruce sat in the kitchen alone, the silence eating away at him.

Liam walked up the stairs and made his way to Jacks room.

"Jack" he called through the door. The clown's name sounding strange on his tongue.

Nothing!

"Payaso" he called again.

He heard a mumbled "go away" but ignored the clown.

"I'm sorry to hear about your wife and son. For your loss I grieve" he said honestly.

It was still silent in the room.

"You wanted to know about my time in the pit. Did you not payaso?" he asked.

He didn't hear Jack tell him to be quiet so he took that as his cue to continue, taking a seat on the floor leaning against the door for support.

"When I was young, my father was sentenced to serve the rest of his life in the pit for the crimes he had committed. The pit, is a prison deep below the ground. A single opening at the top with no means of escape; I grew up there" Liam started.

"My father managed to escape before they had a chance to throw him down there. So...they took me from my bed while I slept and lowered me down by a rope and told me that I were to serve out his sentence for him instead. I was nine years old.

I didn't understand why it was happening to me. I was scared and alone. As I watched the men in the prison, I knew I had to learn to defend myself so that I could survive. The things I saw down there still haunt me to today.

When I was nineteen, a woman was lowered into the pit to serve out the punishment for another just like I had done. Only she was with child.

I watched that innocent child get born into hell and I wanted to protect her from the disgusting predators that occupied the space there" he said.

"One day, the doctor who was also serving his own time in the pit, forgot to lock the young woman's cell and the men who were thirsty for the flesh of a women took her and did unspeakable acts. Sadly, she did not survive.

Now, the little girl had no parent. She was alone.

I picked her up as they dragged her mother away and shielded her eyes and blocked her ears from her mothers screams" he continued.

"I raised her for two years, telling her stories of the outside world. What it looked like, what was up on the surface, keeping her safe from the other prisoners.

I kept her hair short and made her whisper to hide her feminine voice. But, children grow and the men began to notice the young boy was becoming curved at the hips and growing breasts.

One day, a riot started in the prison and the men came looking for her. I helped her up to the side of the pit and I made her climb to her freedom" he explained.

He closed his eyes as memories of what happened next flooded his senses.

"What...ah...happened then?" he heard Jack ask from the other side.

From the sound of it, Jack was sitting on the floor on the other side of the door.

Liam opened his eyes and swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat.

"Then...then they beat me. Clawed and ripping at my face and body. I don't know how long this went on for; I blacked out after a while from the pain and blood loss" he told him.

"The doctor found me near death when the prisoners had gone to bed for the night and dragged me to his cell. He tried to help as best he could but with an unhygienic atmosphere and limited medical supplies my wounds were already becoming infected. I was in constant agony" he said.

"Years later, a group of men lowered by ropes swarmed the pit and killed most of the men inhabiting it. They found me and took me up to the surface. The little girl had grown, found her father and had come back for me. He had his doctors fix me as best they could but pain did not cease.

Eventually, I was fitted with a mask that I had to wear all day everyday to be able to breathe its pain medication so that I could function.

Only until Bruce told me did I know that I was being tricked. I was being fed a drug to make me compliant, a soldier of war" he told the clown.

"The innocent girl I had watched get birthed and helped to raise was not the same after she had left the pit. I could never understand the pain of your loss payaso...but I can relate to the scars and the feeling of having everything taken from you and leaving you a broken shell of a man" he said sadly.

Liam didn't speak after that. He was having an internal battle with himself. He had never told anyone that story before and he couldn't quite explain why he had told Jack but he felt like he had too.

He heard movement from behind the door and sat up straight. He watched as the door handle slowly turned and the door creaked open.

Jack sat on the floor and stared at him.

There was silence between the men before Jack said "thanks big guy" with pure sincerity.

Liam nodded before getting to his feet and walking to his room, closing the door behind him.

What neither man realized, was that at the end of the hall, Bruce sat round the corner, listening to their every word tears streaming down his face.


	15. Chapter 15

**Thankyou for all of the reviews...as promised, here is another chapter :-)**

* * *

 **Chapter Fifteen**

It was the morning after the day before.

Liam was awake early. He'd tried to go back to sleep but he couldn't get his mind to shut off. After sighing in defeat, he got up and went down to the kitchen to find Alfred already preparing breakfast.

"Good morning Liam" Alfred greeted with a warm smile while standing over the stove.

"Good morning" Liam replied.

"Is eggs and bacon alright for you this morning?" Alfred asked the larger man.

"That's fine, thank you Alfred" Liam said.

"You're up earlier than usual today" Alfred stated.

Liam nodded. "I couldn't sleep" he told the older man.

"Does that have anything to do with yesterday?" Alfred asked seriously.

"Mostly" Liam replied.

He watched Alfred continue to prepare breakfast. He hesitated for a few seconds before closing his eyes and with a low sigh, he began to speak.

"I talked to Jack last night. I told him of my story. I managed to get him to open his door" he told the butler.

Alfred turned to look at him. "That's progress" he told Liam.

"It seems as though you and Jack have formed some what of a...bond if you will" he added.

"I already told Master Wayne; I believe that after what you both went through at Arkham, it has cemented an understanding between you both. Dare I say a friendship. Everyone needs a friend at times like this and I think you're his. He listens to you. Respects what you have to say. If anyone can get through to Jack, I believe its you" Alfred explained.

"You must feel something of the same sorts or I don't believe you would have relaid such personal information about yourself to anyone else" Alfred said.

Liam just looked at the older man. He had never had a friend before. Talia...she was...he didn't know what she was anymore.

Barsad...his most trusted henchmen, most would call it a friendship, he saw it simply as business.

Now, here he was not only being told he had a friend, but that it was up to him to take care of this friend. To comfort him, to be a...dare he say it...a confident.

He sighed and rubbed at his temples feeling a headache coming.

This is why he never had friends.

* * *

Bruce was sitting in the armchair in his room. He'd been sat there all night, unable to sleep.

He was trying to process all of the information that he had found out the day before.

He had unwillingly and unknowingly been involved in the death of an innocent women and child, thus leading to Jack losing his mind in grief and turning to crime and becoming a raging, homicidal clown.

He had judged Liam before knowing anything about him and had thrown him in class with the other criminals he fought. Hearing his story yesterday added more guilt to what he was already feeling.

The man had literally grown up with nothing, where as he had grown up with everything and more.

With a huff, he stood up from his chair and opened his bedroom door.

As he was walking through the hall, he heard a door creak open.

He turned to look at where the noise came from and briefly saw Jack's face before the man had slammed his door shut again when he had seen it was Bruce who was in the hall.

With a sad sigh he continued his journey down toward the kitchen.

He walked inside and found Liam sat on a stool eating and Alfred washing up some kitchen utensils.

"Morning" he said quietly.

"Good morning Master Wayne. Coffee?" he asked.

Bruce nodded and mumbled a "thank you" before having a plate set in front of him with bacon and eggs on it.

He poked at the food, not really hungry.

"Mr Fox called. Said there is a meeting at Wayne Enterprises that you cannot miss today Sir. I'll go and lay out a suit for you" Alfred said.

"What time is the meeting?" Bruce asked.

"Ten o'clock" Alfred replied before going up to his Master's bedroom.

Bruce sighed deeply as he continued to poke at his eggs.

He glanced up to Liam who had his eyes closed as he rubbed circles on his temples.

"Are you ok?" he asked the bigger man.

Liam's eyes opened slowly and focused on the man in front of him. He gave a quick nod and then said "tension headache".

"You couldn't sleep either huh?" Bruce asked.

Liam shook his head 'no'.

After silence settled in the room Bruce spoke. "I...I heard you...talking to Jack last night" he admitted.

Liam stiffened. He didn't know Bruce had heard him explain about his past. He felt awkward in his presence.

"I'm sorry you had to grow up like that" Bruce told him.

Liam shook his head. "What's done is done. I cannot change the past" he replied.

"I just wanted to offer my sincere apologies for..." he said but Liam cut him off.

"That information was not meant for you. I told the payaso because I felt it was the right thing to do. Do not sit here and tell me you pity me. The only reason you feel conflicted is through the own guilt you feel for yourself.

You feel bad because while I grew up with nothing, you had everything.

You didn't need to fight for survival. You didn't starve for days at a time. You didn't see the horrors that I did in that god forsaken hell hole. You weren't left with physical and mental reminders of that past.

Do NOT sit here and tell me you're sorry.

You feel bad because while you try to good, you are blinded by hate and you judge before you know the reasons behind peoples madness.

You didn't voluntarily kill anyone but you did help others do it.

He lost his wife and child in one night and the grief was so unbearable that it literally turned him insane. Yet you didn't think of the reasons behind that madness, you just saw another opportunity for Batman to save his city, not caring that YOU are one of the reasons that he made it fall and wanted it all to burn in the first place" Liam said pointing up at ceiling to where Jack's was upstairs.

Bruce sat in utter shock and silence.

Liam was right.

He was trying to turn the guilt he felt for his own actions into pity for what these two men had gone through.

Liam stood up from his seat and walked out of the room leaving a stunned Bruce alone with all that he had just said.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen**

Liam was angry.

Angry at Bruce. Angry at the world. Angry at himself.

He didn't mean for what he'd said to come out so harsh, but Bruce needed a wake up call.

He made his way up the stairs and into his room.

He sat at the end of his bed, elbows on his knees and head resting in his hands.

He was tired.

Tired of the conflicting feelings he felt that he wasn't used too.

Alfred was right about Jack.

He felt the need to protect him. He didn't know why, but he knew he had to.

But, after finding out what Talia had done, he found it hard to trust anyone. She was the only person in the word he trusted and she'd screwed him over more times then he could count.

Did he really want to set himself up for that pain all over again?

He released a deep sigh and looked toward his open door.

Without a second thought, he stood up and walked down the hall to Jack's room.

The door was still closed.

It occurred to him that Jack had not eaten or drank since before they had left for the cemetery the day before.

He knocked on the door.

Silence greeted him.

He knocked again.

"Payaso" he called.

He waited for a few more moments and then heard light footsteps walk toward the door.

With a creak, the door opened slowly and a disheveled looking Jack peered at him through a crack in the door.

"Is he with you?" the clown asked.

Liam shook his head _'no'_. With that, Jack opened the door wider and let Liam walk in.

He looked around the room and could see the various art supplies that littered the floor.

A stack of canvases lent against the wall, while various paints were scattered around the room.

"You're messy payaso" Liam chuckled.

"He came up to...ah...chat. I threw the box of paints at the door. What would make him think I want to...ah...chat, especially to him" he growled.

"Are you calmer now payaso?" Liam asked.

Jack nodded and sat on his bed.

Liam walked over to the armchair in the corner of the room and carried it over to where Jack sat, setting it in front of him, he took a seat.

Jack looked up at Liam briefly before flinging himself backwards onto the bed but regretted it immediately when pain flared through his ribs.

He groaned and clutched at his midsection as he sat up, a scowl on his face.

"You are never going to heal if you keep hurting yourself payaso" Liam told him.

Jack stared at the man and huffed.

"So, did you come here to chat or to just point out the obvious?" Jack snapped.

When Liam gave him a stern glare, Jack sighed. He knew he couldn't get away with talking to the larger man with such an attitude as he did to Bruce or Alfred.

"He wants to talk to you" Liam told him.

Jack sniggered. "That's nice for him" he said sarcastically.

"The power of grief is an amazing thing" Liam told him.

"So is hate. Don't let it consume you" he added.

"Who's side are you on?" Jack asked annoyed.

"I am on no side payaso. You are grieving over the loss of your family, but imagine how it must be to him knowing that he is one of the reasons for your grief. He was trying to do good for his city.

Did he go about it the wrong way by playing chase with the mob...yes, he did.

Did he play part in destroying an innocent family...yes, he did.

But he is now grieving too. You have to live with the grief of losing your family for the rest of your life, but he now has to live with the guilt and the shame and if he doesn't talk to you and say his piece, his hatred over himself and guilt will consume him just like it did you" Liam told him.

"Were you a therapist as well as a terrorist?" Jack asked.

Liam chuckled. "No payaso...just...smart" he said smirking.

Jack gave the man a glare of his own before turning to look at the wall.

"I will...ah...listen to what he has to say. I probably wont like it...but I'll listen" he said.

Liam nodded and stood up. He put the armchair back in its place and walked down to the kitchen to find Bruce.

When he got into the kitchen he only found Alfred cleaning up from breakfast.

"Are you looking for Master Wayne?" Alfred asked.

Liam nodded.

"He's in his room getting ready for work" Alfred informed him.

After thanking Alfred, Liam walked back up the stairs and looked down the hallway.

It occurred to him that he didn't know what room was Bruce's.

Not having the energy, nor care to check every room, he took a deep breath before shouting out "WAYNE".

He waited and within a few seconds, a door opened and Bruce peered out into the hall.

"Is everything alright?" he asked while putting the collar of his shirt down.

Liam nodded. "The payaso will see you now" he said before walking into his room and closing the door.

Bruce swallowed hard and began to make his way to the clown's room.

He stood there for felt like forever before knocking on the door.

"Jack" he called not expecting an answer.

After a few seconds went by, he sighed in defeat and was about to head back to his room when he heard the door open.

Jack stared at him before standing up to his full height instead of hunching as he usually would.

Bruce turned to face him, his mind suddenly going black of what he wanted to say.

"The...ah...big guy said you had something to say. Said I should hear you out...so...speak" he said folding his arms.

Bruce looked at him and sighed.

Once he'd collected himself he began to speak.

"I just wanted to say..."

To be continued...

* * *

 **DUN DUN DUUUUN...A cliffhanger...I know; I'm evil :-)**


	17. Chapter 17

**I know, I know, I know! I've been gone waaay too long. Life has been crazy as of late and I have had literally no time to write anything.**

 **However...today I had a few hours spare so I managed to squeeze out this chapter :-)**

* * *

 **Chapter Seventeen**

"I just...I just wanted to apologise to you Jack. I'm so sorry for happened to your wife and son. I've been so blinded on helping others and the city that I don't stop to think who I may be hurting in the process and I get it now. You feel cheated by what happened. I cheated you. I let you down. I let myself down. I let your wife and son down. I'm truly sorry for what I've done to you" Bruce said sadly.

Jack stared blankly at him. Just as Bruce was about to walk away, Jack spoke.

"Did you lover her?" he asked. Bruce looked at him in question.

"Rachel, I mean. Did you love her?" he asked.

Bruce looked down at the floor to hide the tear that escaped his eye. He nodded.

"Yes...I loved her very much" he told the clown.

Jack nodded. "Then you do know how I feel" he replied.

 _Bruce looked up at him and a thought flashed through his mind and he clenched his fists in anger._

" _Is that why...why you went after her? To spite me? To get back at me?" he yelled._

 _The shouting had caught Liam's attention and he opened his bedroom door to see Bruce advancing on the clown._

" _Is that why you killer her...huh? To make me hurt like you do?" he asked shoving Jack._

" _Is that why you locked her up? Why you blew her up? You couldn't live with your pain so you had to drag others down with you?" he yelled as he shoved the scarred man again._

 _It was at that moment that Jack's eyes turned cold and he grabbed Bruce by the throat and with all his might, slammed the man onto his back on the floor._

 _He squeezed Bruce's neck with one hand a snarl on his lips._

" _Don't think for one second you have it all figured out bat boy. I did NOT rig those charges...you hear me? Her death was NOTHING to do with me. I wanted to hurt YOU...I wanted you to crumble and I knew that destroying this city would make that happen. Don't go accusing people of things they never did...you understand?" he growled as his hand got tighter._

 _Bruce struggled when his breathing started to become laboured. He tried to pull Jack's hand away from his throat but it wouldn't budge._

 _Liam had seen enough. He walked into Jack's bedroom and over to the two men on the floor._

" _Payaso" he called trying to gain the clowns attention._

 _When it didn't work, he walked over to the smaller man and took hold of his hand, prying it away from Bruce's neck._

 _Jack then turned his predatorial gaze onto Liam. He stood and began to advance on the larger man, a small skip in his step._

 _Bruce coughed as he watched the movement. That's what The Joker did._

 _Liam stood on the spot as Jack got closer and closer to him._

" _I will only tell you this once. If you lay a finger on me...I will hurt you" Liam warned._

 _Jack let out a giggle and suddenly lunged toward the larger man who grabbed him by the shoulders and threw him to the ground._

 _Jack let out a strangled moan as his sore ribs began to protest at the movement._

 _He was to his feet quickly however and making his way back toward Liam who was waiting for his attack._

 _Just as Jack was about to lunge at him again Liam's hand shot out and grabbed Jack by the throat._

" _What did I say?" he growled as his hand got tighter, a furious look in his eye._

 _Bruce struggled to get up as he tried to stop the fight that he knew was about to take place._

" _Liam...stop" Bruce wheezed out._

" _Yeah Liam...stop" Jack struggled to say then let out a laugh._

 _He used his long leg to kick Liam in the chest, making the larger man's hand loosen enough to get away._

 _He began to circle Liam as though he were a hunter and Liam were his prey._

 _He then began to reign down blow after blow on the man's back._

 _Liam collapsed to one knee as the pain of the blows shot through his body._

 _His survival instinct quickly set in and before Jack knew what was coming, Liam had him pinned up against the wall by the throat._

 _He squeezed with all his might. Bruce managed to get over to the two men and tried to pull Liam's hand off of the clowns neck but it didn't work. He noticed Jack beginning to struggle to breathe, his lips going blue._

 _He ran to his room and picked up the small remote that controlled the men's shock devices._

 _With a reluctant pause, he pressed the button and watched as Liam let go of Jack instantly._

 _Both men crumpled to the floor as the shock ran through their bodies._

 _When he walked over to them, he looked down at their still bodies, taking note of their lifeless eyes. They were dead!_

Jack clicking his fingers in front of his face brought Bruce out of his daydream.

He looked at the man, his mind suddenly going blank.

"Did you kill her?" he blurted out.

Jack shook his head.

"I never touched her. I had nothing to do with her death" he told Bruce sincerely.

"I was out to get you...not your loved ones, no matter how much the thought crossed my mind" he explained.

Bruce nodded as he took in the man's words.

"I guess we both have to live with the pain" Bruce said quietly.

"I don't hate you...for what its worth" Jack told him.

"I did...and a part of me...ah...still wants to; But I can't. I'm don't know what I'll do if I let the hate consume me again" he told Bruce honestly.

Both men looked at one another before Bruce nodded in understanding.

He turned and walked toward the door.

Just as he was about to step into the hall he turned to look at Jack once more.

"I really am sorry" he said as he walked out of the room and closed the door behind him.

"So am I" Jack said with a whisper as he watched the door close.

To be continued...


End file.
